Newcastle 2 Bournemouth 2: Matt Ritchie is unlikely hero off the bench as Toon snatch draw but European hopes take hit
FORGOTTEN man Matt Ritchie struck seconds after coming off the bench to rescue Newcastle against his former club Bournemouth.
The veteran winger had managed just seven appearances off the bench all season, leading many fans scratching their head as to why he is still at the club taking up a spot in the squad.
Boss Eddie Howe has repeatedly talked up how much of a leader he is behind the scenes yet when it came to influence on the pitch, there has been nothing.
Thrown on at the death with academy midfielder Joe White when 2-1 down, nobody could have predicted what happened next.
The diminutive Scot got on the end of a deep Bruno Guimaraes cross, nodding it back across goal.
It then deflected off Lewis Cook and keeper Neto back into his path and Ritchie slammed home his first goal since July 2020 from point-blank range.
Despite the late drama, it was another shoddy showing at home for Newcastle.
A fortress for so long, Newcastle have major issues at St James’ Park.
And Eddie Howe has a loyalty problem – for how else do you explain him repeatedly picking weak link Dan Burn?
Anthony Gordon‘s penalty had Toon back in this one following Dominic Solanke‘s opener.
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Then, to the surprise of nobody, Burn made ANOTHER cock-up to hand Antoine Semenyo the second.
The Bournemouth winger’s strike on the break from the edge of the box was brilliant but the left-back’s defending was awful.
So passive, Burn just stood off Semenyo, inviting him with open arms to advance to the edge of the box and let fly.
It’s now a pitiful two points from their last four home games, leaving Howe with a major headache.
Yet this is all on Howe given his refusal to drop Burn.
Against Nottingham Forest, Luton and now Bournemouth, he’s hooked the giant Geordie for Tino Livramento – but each time it’s been too late.
Both sides went all guns blazing here but it was the Cherries who would have been kicking themselves for not being in front at the break.
Newcastle have become worryingly open at St James’ Park and were only all level 45 minutes in thanks to Solanke’s finishing.
Former Bournemouth boss Howe said the striker he signed from Liverpool in 2019 could gatecrash the England squad on Friday.
But Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate won’t have been impressed here as a weak effort off his left peg after Toon were ripped open on the break was easily saved by Dubravka, before the Slovakian stopper did brilliantly to deny him from six yards soon after.
The Magpies were disjointed in attack, which was little surprise given they were without strikers Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson.
Anthony Gordon, the stand-in No 9, had their best opening but he could only nod tamely wide.
Newcastle winger Miguel Almiron had a brilliant chance to open the scoring at the start of the second half after being released by Sean Longstaff, but the Paraguayan blazed inches wide having cut inside.
And it proved a huge miss when Solanke was handed a gimme by Dubravka.
Receiving a simple back pass from Sven Botman, the keeper took one touch to try and open his body up but slipped and Solanke pounced to bundle home his 14th of the campaign.
However, Toon were handed a reprieve when, with the help of VAR, they were handed a penalty when Adam Smith took a huge chunk of Fabian Schar’s shirt from a free-kick.
Anthony Gordon slotted into the bottom corner and St James’, quiet for so long, erupted.
Yet it was silenced again 69 minutes in when Semenyo, benefiting from Burn’s criminally weak defending, rocketed the winner into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
And Newcastle looked done for until Ritchie, the unlikeliest of heroes, came off the bench to salvage a point.
Recap all the drama at St James’ Park below…
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