Everton stuns Newcastle with last-second Cleverley goal
Newcastle - Everton midfielder Tom Cleverley headed a dramatic stoppage-time winner to seal a 1-0 victory at Newcastle that left the hosts languishing in the relegation zone on Saturday.
Roberto Martinez's side looked to have squandered their dominant display with a series of missed chances until Cleverley popped up with his perfectly timed intervention to stun St James' Park.
RM: "The feeling you get after a goal like that today is difficult to describe. Tom Cleverley controlled that moment very well." #NEWvEFC
— Everton (@Everton) December 26, 2015
Cleverley's first goal of the season gave Everton their first win in five league matches and shattered Newcastle's three match unbeaten run.
Newcastle are third bottom, behind Norwich on goal difference.
The only Everton player who left frustrated was Romelu Lukaku, who would have entered the Goodison Park history books if he had scored for a ninth successive match.
Belgian striker Lukaku would have joined Everton legend Dixie Dean on that milestone mark he set in 1924, but he drew a disappointing blank.
With torrential rain having lashed Tyneside all day, Everton made the more positive start on a slick surface.
They threatened for the first time when Kevin Mirallas's powerful strike was kept out by Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot.
Martinez's men enjoyed total dominance of possession in the early stages, but Newcastle almost went in front against the run of play through Aleksandar Mitrovic, who should have done better than head tamely wide from Daryl Janmaat's cross.
As the game began to open up Everton winger Aaron Lennon drilled a low effort at Elliot, while Newcastle came close at the other end when Georginio Wijnaldum's header flew wide from Moussa Sissoko's cross.
Lukaku was well policed by the Newcastle defence in the first half.
But he nearly reached the landmark three minutes after the interval when Seamus Coleman's cross flew across goal and just past the former Chelsea forward.
That close shave was followed by an even better chance for Lukaku, who turned Chancel Mbemba and saw his strike turned away by Elliot.
Elliot was working overtime now and he made another good stop to deny Lennon.
Penned into their own half for long periods, Mitrovic wasted a rare Newcastle chance when he headed Sissoko's cross wide from six yards.
Ramiro Funes Mori saw his header pushed away by Elliot, but Everton's pressure was finally rewarded in the most dramatic fashion.
With just seconds left in the third minute of stoppage-time, Newcastle couldn't deal with a cross and Cleverley looped a header over the stranded Elliot and into the net.