Subs: Bernard
Ameobi '70 Bowyer Solano
'70 Robert Jenas
'75
Alan Shearer was Newcastle's hero as an 88th minute equaliser
sent Newcastle back from Elland Road with a 2-2 draw.
Early pressure from Leeds seen a few half chances created
in a scrappy game which brought out 6 yellow cards.
Shearer put Newcastle in front firing home a penalty after
brilliant interplay from Lee Bowyer and Craig Bellamy played
Kieron Dyer through who was tripped by Lucas Radebe. The lead
was short lived, when Mark Viduka fired home the equaliser
four minutes later after a possesion was lost outside the
18 yard box.
Alan Smith put Leeds in front after Olivier Bernard sent a
tame header back to Shay Given only for Smith to nip in and
beat the stranded keeper (57).
Newcastle kept pushing for that decisive equaliser, after
bringing on Jermaine Jenas, Shola Ameobi and Nolberto Solano
to somehow find a goal.
The breakthrough came on 88 minutes, when a defensive mix-up
allowed Alan Shearer to toe-poke the equaliser in.
Sir Bobby said:
"In the end, yes, with us losing I would settle for
that," he said. "It was two major defensive errors,
so they scored non-creative goals and went from being 1-0
down to a winning position.
"We plugged away and never stopped working - we wanted
to play. I put everyone on that I could to try to salvage
a point, which we did in the end.
"We got our rewards from a tough match. Leeds played
very well and it was a diplomatic result over all."
Alan Shearer said:
"Being 2-1 down with just a few minutes to go, we have
got to be happy.
"With the likes of Smith and Viduka up front, they have
always got a chance and two mistakes cost us."
He added: "I thought we came at them very strong in the
second half and thought we looked the fitter towards the end."
Ameobi '70