Carroll saves Magpies' blushes

Andrew Carroll was Newcastle's hero as he rescued a 2-2 draw with West Ham at St James' Park.

Young striker marks first home start with equaliser

Newcastle United youngster Andrew Carroll was his side's hero as he rescued a point at St James' Park in a 2-2 draw with West Ham United. The 20-year-old was making his first home start for the Magpies and earned Joe Kinnear's men a share of the spoils with his first goal in league football. Newcastle had taken the lead in the 19th minute as the visiting defence backed off Michael Owen and allowed the Magpies skipper to fire in hard and low from 18 yards for his 12th goal in 14 games against the Hammers. However, the lead was to last just 10 minutes as former Newcastle striker Craig Bellamy latched on to a superb pass from Scott Parker to poke a chip past the advancing Shay Given from close range. West Ham then dominated immediately after the interval and deservedly had their reward on 55 minutes as Carlton Cole collected a long ball from Herita Ilunga to fire into the top corner. Carroll, though, ensured the points were shared as he met a Damien Duff cross to head Newcastle level with 12 minutes remaining. Despite another fractious build-up week the home side had started well and Carroll had the first chance in the second minute when Owen created space for him to drive a shot into the legs of Matthew Upson. And the home side were closer in the eighth minute when Carroll glanced a right-wing cross from Duff goalwards but the excellent James Collins headed clear despite appeals for a penalty.

Superb

Owen had a superb chance to put Newcastle in front in the 13th minute after being fed by Jonas Gutierrez on the right and cutting a low shot across goal which clipped the base of Robert Green's left-hand post on its way out. But there early glimpses of the startling holes in the home defence with Bellamy seeing a 14th minute header bundled clear by Fabricio Coloccini after he had been left unmarked in the box. But when Owen got his opener it was well deserved, the striker fed on the left by Luis Enrique and advancing to the edge of the box before hitting a low right-foot shot past Green. Newcastle should have gone further ahead in the 25th minute after a fine right-wing cross by Duff reached Carroll at the far post but the striker made a mess of his jump for a simple close-range header. Then Bellamy came back to haunt his former club in the 29th minute when he nipped onto the end of a clever Parker ball in the box before neatly lifting his shot over Given into the net. Kinnear's men almost regained the lead in the 34th minute when Geremi's long-range free-kick clattered into Collins and rebounded into the path of Gutierrez, who lashed a powerful effort into the side-netting. Then Carroll had a loud penalty appeal turned down in the 39th minute when he collapsed under the challenge of Collins in the box as the pair sought to deal with high ball into the box from Duff. The Hammers should have gone in ahead at the break when Neill sent Mark Noble clean through in the 42nd minute but his shot was bloked by Given and Bellamy's follow-up from a tight angle found the side-netting.

Blatant

And the visitors were denied what appeared to be a blatant penalty moments after the restart when Sebastien Bassong used his arm to prevent Bellamy reaching a loose ball in the box. Cole, anonymous in the first half, was coming more into the game and being afforded a ridiculous amount of space in the left channel, but the home side failed to heed a host of warnings. And Cole duly lashed the Hammers into a deserved lead in the 55th minute when he controlled a long ball from Ilunga in the left side of the box and screwed a superb left-foot shot into the top corner. The busy Collins got in a fine saving challenge to deny Carroll a shot on goal just before the hour, then the apparently want-away N'Zogbia was roundly booed when he was introduced in place of Geremi. Neill's embarrassment was spared in the 67th minute when he mis-kicked the ball into his own net from a Coloccini cross only for referee Alan Wiley to blow up for a push by Taylor on Collins. But the home side clinched their equaliser in the 78th minute when Carroll jumped highest to meet a high cross from the right by Duff and steered the ball past a helpless Green.

Newcastle United	Team Statistics	West Ham United
2	Goals	2
1	1st Half Goals	1
3	Shots on Target	9
9	Shots off Target	2
11	Blocked Shots	4
8	Corners	3
11	Fouls	18
0	Offsides	7
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
82.4	Passing Success	82.8
16	Tackles	22
81.2	Tackles Success	63.6
53.3	Possession	46.7
61.6	Territorial Advantage	38.4