Newcastle United 2-1 Everton: Callum Wilson’s double sees Magpies to victory

Everton missed the chance to return to the top of the Premier League as Callum Wilson scored twice to give Newcastle a first win in three matches.

The result means Carlo Ancelotti’s side remain second, three points behind Liverpool, while the Magpies move up to 10th.

After a largely uneventful first half, the game sparked into life in the second period.

And Newcastle, who had taken a point from their two previous matches, had Wilson to thank for their victory.

Steve Bruce’s side could have added to their tally but Sean Longstaff’s powerful close-range effort was brilliantly saved by Robin Olsen, starting in goal for Everton in place of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s late goal was not enough to prevent Ancelotti from losing consecutive league games for the first time since September 2014, when he was in charge of Real Madrid.

Everton’s absence of attacking guile

Everton began the campaign with four consecutive victories to move to the top of the Premier League, but this was another result that will have grounded expectations at Goodison Park.

Now without a win in three games, Everton’s big news prior to kick-off was that Pickford, who has come under scrutiny for several high-profile mistakes, had been dropped after 120 consecutive Premier League appearances.

In his place, on-loan Roma goalkeeper Olsen made a confident debut, saving superbly from Allan Saint-Maximin and turning away Longstaff’s powerful shot.

The Sweden international could not be faulted for either of Newcastle’s goals but Everton’s biggest problem was at the other end of the pitch.

Without suspended forward Richarlison and injured playmaker James Rodriguez, Ancelotti’s side struggled to create meaningful chances, mustering just four shots on target.

A five-man midfield containing players who all prefer to operate from central roles did not help, with Calvert-Lewin not seeing enough of the ball to make an impact until late on.

Everton’s limitations in attack were highlighted further by 19-year-old Ellis Simms’ inclusion as a substitute along with Cenk Tosun, who came on for the first time since 21 December 2019.

More to follow.