De Jong tackle row overshadows City win

ADAM JOHNSON, the England winger who has yet to convince club manager Roberto Mancini that he is worthy of a starting place at Manchester City, came off the bench to have the final say in his team’s absorbing victory over Newcastle, although his display was overshadowed by matters beyond his control.

Referee Martin Atkinson endured the sort of afternoon that will do little to silence those critics who claim top-class officiating is letting down the Premier League and, to that growing army of critics, Newcastle manager Chris Hughton will now most certainly add his voice.

The quietly-spoken, articulate and thoughtful Newcastle manager chose his words carefully in describing an early, controversial challenge by Nigel de Jong on Hatem Ben Arfa which went unpunished by Atkinson but which left the Frenchman with a broken left leg.

However, Hughton was more vocal about two appalling penalty decisions which cost his team – one which Atkinson gifted City in the first half, the second which denied Newcastle a clear spot kick late in proceedings.

“I thought it was a challenge that didn’t need to be made,” said Hughton of de Jong’s tackle. “Everybody will have their own opinions, it’s been shown enough times. But my feeling was, at the time, it was a challenge that didn’t need to be made.

“I probably don’t want to go into whether it was a foul. The best thing I can say was it was a challenge that didn’t need to be made. The referee has made two horrendous decisions. My first impressions were Mike Williamson had played the ball and also it was outside the box. They were confirmed when I saw it on TV.

“Then my first impression when Shola Ameobi went down was that his standing foot had been taken away from him and that was confirmed as well.”

Ben Arfa, on loan from Marseille, may be out for the remainder of the season after Hughton confirmed he has broken his leg, although specific details about the break will determine the exact length of time he will spend on the sidelines. Opinion, among observers and television pundits alike, appeared divided as to the legality of the de Jong challenge, with Atkinson not awarding a free-kick, although City assistant manager Brian Kidd predictably presented the case for the defence.

“We didn’t realise how bad it was at the time, but everybody knows Nigel. He is as honest as the day is long,” said Kidd. “It’s so sad when that happens but I don’t think it was a rash challenge. There was no malice in it, definitely not. Nigel’s not that type of lad. There is no malice in Nigel de Jong.”

Aside from the injustice of the result from a Newcastle perspective, Atkinson’s display was also unjust on Johnson, who has struggled to win over Mancini this season but who scored within three minutes of his appearance as a 72nd minute substitute.

The winger collected a pass from James Milner and cut between two defenders into the Newcastle area before placing a brilliant left-foot shot into the bottom left-hand corner.

It had looked like possibly being a routine victory for City after Atkinson gifted them a 16th minute lead. Tevez was racing clear on goal, ahead of Mike Williamson, when the Newcastle centre-half slid and appeared to win the ball with a side-on tackle. However, referee Atkinson was well placed to make a decision and immediately pointed to the spot, allowing Tevez to convert the spot kick, his fifth goal in seven games this season and the 28th in his 39 league games for City to date.

City had been handed the ideal foundation upon which to build but, to their credit, Newcastle’s response was swift and impressive with defender Fabricio Coloccini forcing Joe Hart into an excellent save as he controlled the ball on the edge of the area and volleyed goalwards.

It was a warning that City failed to heed and, after 23 minutes, they surrendered their lead to the impressive Gutierrez. The Argentinian winger started the move with a neat piece of skill on the left and a cross which Vincent Kompany failed to clear adequately.

Gutierrez responded quickly, far more quickly than his marker Kolo Toure, and collected the loose ball which he placed past Hart, via the underside of the crossbar, with an emphatic finish.

Even when Coloccini added to their problems by limping off to be replaced by Sol Campbell, Newcastle were enjoying a purple period in terms of possession and hung in the contest until Johnson’s dramatic intervention.

However, Atkinson’s bizarre refusal to award them a penalty after Lescott clearly took away the leg of Ameobi ultimately ensured City continued their rise up the Premier League table.

“You’ve got to give credit to the boss,” said Kidd, standing in for Mancini who flew to Italy last night to be with his ill father. “He wasn’t prepared for a draw, he wanted a win and the second half tactics proved that. The ethics the boss has are not about individuals, it’s about the squad, the team. Adam did well against Juventus in the week and again today he came up with that little big of magic he’s always capable of.”