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Men's Football Foxes spoil Newcastle's 125th anniversary

Newcastle 2-3 Leicester

THIS was not how the birthday party was supposed to go. What started as a celebration of Newcastle’s 125th anniversary on Saturday ended with a third straight home defeat and the Magpies just two points off the relegation zone.

That may seem like a surprise, but in truth it’s been a steady descent; this was their sixth defeat in seven games and the lack of investment in the summer is really taking its toll. Good results for Newcastle early in the season were the result of organisation but even that is now absent and manager Rafa Benitez was left bemoaning errors that led to Leicester’s goals. 

“It was a lack of experience and I’m disappointed because all the effort the players put in on the pitch led to nothing in terms of points.” 

The Spaniard was clearly exasperated that his team lost despite once again taking an early lead. “We have to manage in a better way when we are doing well and we continue making easy mistakes,” he said.

Indeed, it had started so well. After the club’s landmark date was celebrated by a sea of black-and-white flags prior to kick-off, Newcastle took the lead in the fourth minute. Confusion in the visitors’ defence allowed Dwight Gayle to skip free down the left before feeding an unmarked Joselu who made no mistake with his finish.

However, the lead lasted less than quarter of an hour as Riyad Mahrez curled in a superb left-foot strike from 25 yards to bring the visitors level. A superior Leicester playing a more possession-based game under new manager Claude Puel gradually exerted control and they went ahead on the hour mark thanks to Demarai Gray’s deflected shot. Newcastle refused to buckle and Gayle grabbed an equaliser with 17 minutes to play.

Both sides had chances to grab a third in a thrilling finish, but it was Leicester who did. Jamie Vardy crossed for the irrepressible Shinji Okazaki and his presence was enough to force Ayoze Perez to put through his own net. 

“It was a fantastic feeling at the end with the third goal,” said Leicester boss Puel. “We deserved it. After a good first-half our start to the second half was not enough. We came back with the second goal. It was a fantastic move and a fantastic goal. Now it is important to continue from this result.”

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