Ahead of Tuesday evening’s clash between Eddie Howe’s black-and-whites and Frank Lampard’s Toffees, VAVEL take a look back to December 2014 when Alan Pardew’s Magpies ended a run of three-straight league defeats as they came from behind to defeat Roberto Martinez’s Everton in a five-goal thriller at St James’ Park.

The visitors went into the match with just one win in six league games, but broke the deadlock when Arouna Kone punished static defending just five minutes in. 

Before Newcastle United equalised after the half-hour mark, there was a moment of controversy as referee Craig Pawson missed Papiss Cisse elbowing Seamus Coleman in the face and the Senegalese forward levelled the scores only a minute after the incident.

Ayoze Perez then gave Newcastle the lead on 51 minutes before an unlikely hero in Jack Colback provided the match-winner midway through the second-half as he scored his first goal for his boyhood club in front of the Gallowgate End. 

Everton set up a dramatic finale when Kevin Mirallas struck with six minutes remaining, but the hosts held on to move up to ninth in the Premier League table, while The Toffees stayed in 12th.

It turned out to be Pardew’s final match as Newcastle manager after Crystal Palace agreed a compensation package and he was later confirmed as The Eagles boss in January 2015, while John Carver was put in charge of The Magpies until the end of the season. 

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  • Story of the game

Kone, who replaced Romelu Lukaku in one of seven changes made to the starting line-up by Martinez, fired Everton ahead inside the opening five minutes as the Ivory Coast international was left unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box as he converted Coleman’s right-footed cross for his first goal for The Toffees. 

Newcastle were fortunate that they also didn’t have a numerical disadvantage in the first-half as a moment of madness from Cisse saw him elbow Coleman directly in the face after being held from a corner, but fortunately for the Senegal striker, VAR didn’t exist and referee Pawson failed to witness it as the game suddenly swung in The Magpies’ favour. 

The incident proved to be a major turning point as it was only a minute later when Pardew’s side found themselves on level terms and it was Cisse, of all players, to lift the mood on Tyneside. 

A quickly taken short corner from Colback found the late Cheick Tiote in acres of space out wide and his inviting cross into the back post was hooked into the penalty area by Mike Williamson and Cisse was in the right place to equalise with a fine finish from eight yards out.

The Magpies completed the turnaround six minutes after the break as Aiden McGeady cheaply gifted the ball to Tiote, who released it into the path of Perez and his crisp strike went through the legs of Coleman and left Joel Robles helpless for his fifth goal of the season.

Another individual Everton error saw Newcastle take full advantage as they added a decisive third on 68 minutes when Ross Barkley failed to deal with Daryl Janmaat’s through ball as Colback pounced and delivered a composed left-footed toe-poked finish into the far corner.

It was a joyous moment for the Geordie-born midfielder as he celebrated his first goal alongside a rapturous St James’ Park.

Martinez’s side gave themselves a lifeline on 84 minutes to set up a tense finale in the North East.

A sumptuous pass on the half-way line from Leighton Baines split the Newcastle defence wide open as Mirallas raced through on goal and dinked the ball over an advancing Jak Alnwick, though to the black-and-whites relief, it was only a consolation as they ended the calendar year with a first league win in four games.

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Perez produced an exceptional display and didn’t give the Everton defence a moment’s rest, his goal was sheer quality and he was unlucky not to have scored a second deep into stoppage-time when his shot hit the post. 

Remarkably, he was just 21-years-old on the back of this performance, but it appeared he had already adapted to life in the Premier League.

In his debut season in England, the Spaniard was one of the few shining stars as he went on to score seven goals in 36 starts in what was an otherwise underwhelming season for Newcastle as they went on to finish 15th. 

Throughout the 14 years under Mike Ashley’s ownership, Perez was one of the very rare bargain buys having joined the club in the summer of 2014 from Spanish second tier side Tenerife for just £1.5m. 

Perez’s 48 goals in 195 appearances for The Magpies earned him a move to Leicester City in 2019, but since his move to The Foxes, he’s struggled to hit the same heights that he accomplished on Tyneside registering 10 goals in 66 appearances.
 

  • Starting XI’s

Newcastle United: Alnwick; Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett; Tiote, Colback; Sissoko, Perez, Gouffran; Cisse. (4-2-3-1)

Everton: Robles; Coleman, Alcaraz, Dustin, Garbutt; McCarthy, Barry; McGeady, Eto’o, Baines; Kone. (4-2-3-1)