Crystal Palace turn it round after lightning Newcastle start

After a seven-and-a-quarter hour wait to find the net on the road, Palace made up for lost time by scoring twice in four minutes

Crystal Palace's Gary Cahill (no.24) scores their side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match at St. James's Park, Newcastle.

Premier League: Newcastle 1 Crystal Palace 2

Given their previously abject away form, the likelihood of Crystal Palace being able to do it on a filthy Tuesday night in the northeast appeared rather remote.

That they lasted all of 71 seconds before shipping the opening goal merely lengthened those odds, but rather than Jonjo Shelvey’s first goal since July heralding rare back-to-back victories for the hosts, St James’s witnessed a stirring comeback to halt Newcastle’s mini-revival in its tracks.

Too many games here this season have required a warning for tedium, but in fairness to both sides, this entertainingly open affair was anything but a slog on the Tyne.

The loss of Wilfred Zaha to a hamstring injury early in the second half took the gloss somewhat off the outcome for Palace. However, the manner in which they dug in to secure a first away win for almost two months will have cheered Roy Hodgson as he reflected on the 50th win of his three-year Selhurst Park reign.

It didn’t start well. Palace fell to the fastest goal they have conceded in the top flight for almost 23 years.

Newcastle’s reputation as notoriously slow starters was turned on its head when Miguel Almiron’s volleyed cross from the left was deftly chested down and headed back by Callum Wilson for Shelvey to thump a half volley into the bottom corner from 20 yards.

Jeff Hendrick came close to doubling the advantage with a shot on the turn which flew narrowly wide. Wilson sent an improvised scorpion kick just over the bar from Ryan Fraser’s deflected centre. It appeared only a matter of time until the floodgates were wedged fully open, and indeed two goals arrived in the space of four minutes midway through the first-half. Perplexingly given what had gone on before, they both came from the visitors.

Jairo Riedewald’s 21st-minute equaliser was as brutal as it was beautiful, the Dutchman beating Karl Darlow more than anything with the sheer pace of his shot from the edge of the area, which, after good work down the left from Patrick van Aanholt, took a minimal but telling touch off defender Ciaran Clark as it whistled into the net for the midfielder’s second of the season.

After a seven-and-a-quarter hour wait to find the net on the road, Palace made up for lost time by scoring another a little over 200 seconds later.

Gary Cahill’s name had previously appeared on a scoresheet two-and-half years’ ago, but he took his 50th career goal with notable aplomb, evading Fabian Schar to head home at the near post from Ebere Eze’s inviting free-kick. Football seemingly gave way to basketball as the opponents traded chances in a frenetic finale to the first-half, Zaha having a far-post effort rightly ruled out for a narrow offside against Michy Batshuayi.

Newcastle recovered their composure to twice come close to an equaliser, with Fraser guilty of an unconvincing finish when his tame shot was blocked by Vicente Guaita after the Scot had been put through by Wilson’s sublime pass.

Almiron’s 20-yard free-kick glanced the crossbar to see the hosts end in arrears a half where they could easily have scored four or five. While the contest remained just as fluid after the break, the chances dried up.

Even the introduction of Allan Saint-Maximin failed to provide the spark and a more composed finish from Andros Townsend in stoppage time would have embellished the margin.

NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Darlow 6: Manquillo 4 (Gayle 77, 5), Clark 6 (Carroll 89, 5), Schar 5, Lewis 6; Hendrick 5 (Saint-Maximin 63, 7), Hayden 6, Shelvey 6; Almiron 6, Wilson 7, Fraser 6.

CRYSTAL PALACE (4-2-3-1): Guaita 7; Clyne 7, Cahill 8, Dann 7, van Aanholt 7; Riedewald 7 (Kouyate 90, 6), Milivojevic 6; Ayew 6, Eze 7, Zaha 4 (Townsend 58, 6); Batshuayi 5 (Benteke 73, 6).

Referee: Darren England