Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Newcastle 1 Fulham 0: Cisse steals victory with 93rd-minute strike to ease ... - Daily Mail

When the winning goal was scored in the third minute of added time, he leapt over the hoardings, into the crowd and grabbed the nearest fan he could find. And that was the manager!

Alan Pardew was oblivious to where goalscorer Papiss Cisse was at that point (he was deliriously sprinting towards the corner flag with every team-mate in pursuit) and he says he didn't even hear the din from close to 50,000 demented Geordies.

'Someone's arm was battering my ears,' Pardew said. 'I didn't hear a thing. It was not intentional to jump into the crowd, it just came into my head at the time.'

Newcastle: Krul, Simpson (Campbell 81), S.Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa, Santon (Anita 17), Marveaux, Sissoko, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Gouffran (Sh Ameobi 69), Cisse

Fulham: Schwarzer; Riether, Senderos, Hangeland, Riise; Manolev (Rodallega 81), Enoh (Frimpong 50), Karagounis, Duff; Ruiz; Berbatov

The reaction from both sides was like a last-ditch winner in a cup final. But for Newcastle United, it could be more important than that.

At the start of the biggest week of Pardew's Newcastle reign, Cisse scored the multi-million pound goal that has taken them to 36 points and should keep his team in the Barclays Premier League.

'To someone like me who's been in the game and knows the financial implications and the implications for spirit, the feeling of the fans and of everything involved, it is a precious goal. You couldn't put a price on it.

'I knew how much it meant because our fans are intelligent. They know how important that was, how important for this week in front of us now.'

Cisse's shot hit the back of the net with 92 minutes and 37 seconds on the clock. It is the third time in three home games the Senegal striker has scored after the 90th minute.

And his 12th goal of the season is arguably the most valuable, although he will surpass that if he scores winners again against Benfica on Thursday and Sunderland on Sunday.

Pardew added: 'At half-time I showed him a clip of a big chance we had, which I don't do often, when he should have passed for Sylvain Marveaux who was unmarked. He was very upset with himself. I did wonder if I had done the right thing. Then he gets a chance like that. No other player could do that and turn like he did to score.'

The Newcastle manager did well to select any highlights of the first half. Cisse and Moussa Sissoko both hit wildly off target, but Fulham had four good chances.

Mark Schwarzer, in the Fulham goal, was beaten after the break when he was wrong-footed by a Vurnon Anita drive which deflected off Emmanuel Frimpong's thigh and crashed against the crossbar.

Yoan Gouffran headed a teasing Marveaux corner on to the post and Cisse smashed the rebound against the same upright.

Newcastle and their supporters were more concerned with the part Sascha Riether played in diverting Gouffran's header on to the post, claiming he used his arm. Referee Kevin Friend said he didn't.

To add to Newcastle supporters' anxiety, Fulham' s quick, slick passing was a noticeable danger, particularly when Dimitar Berbatov shifted the gears from walking pace to canter.

The Fulham captain went close in the third minute, toe-poking a shot over and Tim Krul made save of the day after the break to keep out his firm header.

Berbatov's perfectly weighted pass into the box was played at the ideal pace for strike partner Bryan Ruiz but he delayed his shot enough for Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa to make a well-timed intervention.

For all his apparent indifference to all that goes on around him, Berbatov was furious when John Arne Riise failed to spot him unmarked on a rare late foray in the second half, and showed little patience for Hugo Rodallega when he slipped in the box and ruined his skipper's pass.

He was also the nearest Fulham player, having dropped deep into his own penalty area in the dying minutes to defend a point.

Berbatov had twice made vital headed clearances before Cabaye's shot bounced into Cisse's feet and the Newcastle striker turned Berbatov to score.

Fulham boss Martin Jol said: 'They throw everything forward because they want to score so you have to punish them when you get a chance. That is not easy and when we had chances we couldn't do it. It is very disappointing.'

Sunderland (h) - April 14West Brom (a) - April 20Liverpool (h) - April 27West Ham (a) - May 4QPR (a) - May 12Arsenal (h) - May 19

Aston Villa (a) - SaturdayChelsea (h) - April 17Arsenal (h) - April 20Everton (a) - April 27Reading (h) - May 4Liverpool (h) - May 12Swansea (a) - May 19

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