Match Diaries
Newcastle 0 Blackburn Rovers 1
IT doesn't get more devastating than this. As the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, Newcastle were pushing forward for a winner that would have lifted them clear of the relegation zone.
Twenty seconds later, and Matt Derbyshire was firing a low strike past Steve Harper and condemning the Magpies to a defeat that leaves them deep in trouble at the foot of the Premier League.
On such fine margins, fates can be sealed.
Defeat was harsh on the Magpies, as Kevin Keegan's side had dominated the majority of the preceding 90 minutes and would have claimed a deserved lead had it not been for two excellent Brad Friedel saves to deny Michael Owen.
But, as has been the case on a number of occasions this season, one elementary mistake undid all of Newcastle's previous good work. And what a mistake it was.
Pushing forward to attack a corner, David Bentley was left one-on-one with Jose Enrique as Blackburn broke. Bentley pushed the ball inside, and no-one was within five yards of Derbyshire as he advanced unchallenged on goal.
That the substitute went on to score was hardly a surprise given Newcastle's dreadful recent record, but the shocked silence that accompanied the goal underlined the extent of the consequences that could follow.
With Reading having also scored a last-gasp winner at Middlesbrough, Newcastle find themselves perilously close to the relegation zone ahead of next weekend's trip to Liverpool. Ominously, for the Magpies, things might well get worse before they show any sign of getting better.
5:50pm Saturday 1st March 2008
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