Alex Iwobi’s goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time gave 10-man Everton a 1-0 victory over Newcastle on Thursday that ended a four-game losing streak in the Premier League and boosted the club’s hopes of avoiding a relegation scrap.
Everton’s recent run of poor form had seen it drop to just above the relegation zone when Brazilian midfielder Allan was sent off in the 83rd minute, it seemed a point was the best Frank Lampard’s team could hope for.
But with 14 minutes of added time due to the incursion of a protester who tied himself to a goalpost and the VAR check for Allan’s dismissal, Iwobi finished off a quick attack with one of Everton’s most important goals of the season.
It was only Everton’s third top-flight win since September, but they now have a three-point gap to 18th-place Watford with two matchers in hand.
It was also just the team’s second clean sheet since November.
For Newcastle, it was a second straight loss after an eight-game unbeaten run that saw the team build a comfortable gap to the teams around the relegation zone.
After a bright start by Everton, the visitors largely dominated possession in the first half without creating any clear-cut scoring chances.
The second half was barely five minutes old when the game was stopped after a protester wearing a “Just Stop Oil” T-shirt cable-tied himself to the goalpost at the Gwladys Street End and was only removed after half a dozen people and bolt cutters were deployed.
Allan’s red card came after Seamus Coleman’s penalty claim for a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge with Bruno Guimaraes was turned down. On the resulting counter-attack, the Brazilian hacked down Allan Saint-Maximin with a wild off-the-ground challenge.
Referee Craig Pawson was called to the pitchside monitor and overturned his yellow card to send off the midfielder.
Iwobi wasn’t content to settle for a draw, though. After Everton won the ball back near the halfway line, Iwobi surged forward and exchanged passes with Dominic Calvert-Lewin before slotting a low left-footed shot into the net.
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