Premier League: Crystal Palace fight back to hand Alan Pardew point against Newcastle

By Richard Morgan

Friday 13 February 2015 12:49, UK

Crystal Palace and Newcastle played out a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park on Wednesday night in Alan Pardew’s first meeting with his old club.

The visitors had led at the break through top-scorer Papiss Cisse’s 10th goal in just 16 Premier League games this season on what was the Senegal striker’s first start for the club since December.

But Pardew – who endured some unsavoury chants from the away end – saw his side deservedly draw level after 71 minutes thanks to substitute Fraizer Campbell’s well-taken strike.

Palace, who have now taken 10 points from a possible 15 under Pardew, sit 13th in the table, two places behind Newcastle.

The home side had dominated the opening 45 minutes without ever really testing Tim Krul in the Newcastle goal, despite Campbell correctly having a goal ruled out for offside, before finding themselves 1-0 down three minutes before half-time following the visitors’ first shot on goal.

Picking up possession midway in the Palace half on the right wing, Daryl Janmaat’s skil took him past the backtracking Wilfried Zaha, before the Netherlands international’s inch-perfect centre from the byline was headed powerfully past Julian Speroni at his near post by Cisse.

That strike forced Palace to throw caution to the wind in the second half, and even more so after the double introduction of both leading-scorer Dwight Gayle and Yannick Bolasie – back from the Africa Cup of Nations – with a quarter of the game remaining.

But it was the latter’s appearance which really seemed to stir Palace into life as Bolasie created his side’s equaliser with virtually his first touch since replacing left-back Martin Kelly, his brilliant curling centre toe-poked home by the unmarked Campbell – who had replaced the injured Yaya Sanogo midway through the first half – from six yards out.

A Palace winner looked inevitable, only for Pardew’s men to be denied twice late on by heroic Newcastle defending.

With 15 minutes remaining, and again after yet more enterprising wing play by Bolasie, Zaha saw his fiercely-struck effort from the edge of the area blocked by the onrushing Janmaat.

And then, right at the very death, Palace centre-back Brede Hangeland rose majestically to head Jason Puncheon’s right-wing centre goalwards, only for Krul to somehow claw his effort wide of the post.

Player ratings

Crystal Palace: Speroni (6), Ward (6), Hangeland (7), Delaney (6), Kelly (7), Puncheon (7), McArthur (6), Ledley (6), Zaha (8), Chamakh (7), Sanogo (6)

Subs: Bolasie (8), Campbell (8), Gayle (6)

Newcastle United: Krul (6), Janmaat (9), Williamson (6), Coloccini (7), Haidara (6), Sissoko (6), Colback (6), Ayoze Perez (5), Cabella (6), Gouffran (6), Cisse (8)

Subs: Riviere (6), Abeid (6), Dummett (6)

Man of the match: Daryl Janmaat

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