Match Report Newcastle United (0) 1-1 (1) Fulham Premier League Match Day 14 2021 at St. James' Park Saturday 19th December 2020 ~ KO: 20.00 Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire) Live on Sky Sports

It is just as well there are no supporters inside St James' Park right now. They would not have enjoyed this, and would have let that be known, too.

Match Stats	Newcastle	Fulham
Goals	(0) 1	1 (1)
Scorers	Wilson pen 64	Ritchie og 42
Goal attempts	12	11
On target	5	4
Shooting Accuracy	0%	0%
Possession	49%	51%
Passes Success	81%	82%
Corners	2	9
Tackles Success	75%	57%
Saves	4	4
Fouls	7	17
Offsides	1	0
Yellows	1	3
Reds	0	1
source: SkySports

Out-played for more than an hour against promoted Fulham but then handed a lifeline when Joachim Andersen was sent off and Callum Wilson levelled the scores from the penalty spot, Steve Bruce's side still did not have the wit to win it.

For Fulham and Scott Parker, this was two points dropped, especially given their dominance before being reduced in number.

They deservedly led at the break and were better in just about every department. Except at centre-forward that was, where former Magpie Aleksandar Mitrovic looked off the pace. With a more in-form marksman, you feel, Fulham would have been out of sight by the time of Newcastle's equaliser.

Bruce said this week that he would have liked to work with Mitrovic, who left Newcastle for Fulham in a £22million deal two years ago. It sounded like a swipe at the man who sold him, Rafa Benitez. He was never keen on the Serbian. He didn't trust him and wasn't overly impressed by his work-rate, either.

Bruce was right when he said Mitrovic was a cult hero in these parts. But hidden within that - the clue is 'cult' - was that one half of the fanbase agreed with Benitez.

On the evidence of 76 minutes largely ineffective minutes last night, it was the Spaniard who was right.

Newcastle looked shot during the closing stages of Wednesday's 5-2 defeat at Leeds - conceding three times in the final 12 minutes - and they picked up with the same lethargy here, despite Bruce making five changes.

Among those were recalls for two full-backs barely seen in recent months. Paul Dummett had not played since January because of injury, while DeAndre Yedlin's last Premier League start was in July.

Bruce just doesn't seem to fancy the latter. And so it was that the team-sheet wore the look of a side still dealing with a Covid-19 outbreak.

It showed on the pitch, too. The first-half belonged to Fulham. They had more of the ball - 65 per cent - and the best of the chances.

Indeed, there was a 15-minute spell before half-time when Newcastle barely had any possession. Then again, they've barely had the ball for 15 months under Bruce.

If you give up possession and chances every week then you're going to lose more matches than you win.

Fulham played the opening period like a side who fancied themselves for victory. The only surprise was that it took them 42 minutes to take the lead.

Newcastle's Matt Ritchie had endured a wretched night to that point - a player usually so sharp looking blunted by an injury-hit 2020 - and he suffered the indignity of an own goal when Tosin Adarabioyo's header bounced up into his face and crept inside the post.

It was a smack in the chops for Newcastle and Ritchie, quite literally. Adarabioyo was afforded space to connect with Ademola Lookman's corner for the second time in the space of a few minutes, but the goal had been coming for many more.

Fulham should have led when Bobby Decordova-Reid found himself one-on-one with Karl Darlow on 26 minutes but the winger prodded straight at the on-rushing goalkeeper.

Decordova-Reid was soon staring down the whites of Darlow's eyes once again but he should have kept his gaze on the ball - Mario Lemina had dropped a wonderful pass in behind - and the Fulham man sliced wide from eight yards.

There was a chance at the other end for Miguel Almiron but his shot was snaffled by Alphonse Areola after the Paraguayan had taken aim for the bottom corner. But it was a lame offering from the home side during that first 45 minutes, the sort of showing that would have given rise to a chorus of boos on the whistle.

Newcastle, though, have a way of digging themselves out of such holes. Bruce's detractors call it good fortune. It has happened too many times now for that to be the sole cause.

But red cards and penalties do have a way of aiding Newcastle's rescue acts. Fulham, in that regard, were architects of their downfall having held a position of such superiority.

They had committed bodies forward in search of a second goal just after the hour when Newcastle broke and Jonjo Shelvey fed Almiron, who slipped a pass to send Wilson in on goal.

Andersen made no attempt to win the ball. His intention, rather, was to disturb Wilson's stride. He achieved that but it came at the expense of a foul as the striker took the invitation to stumble to the turf inside the area.

Penalty, yes. But red card? A recovering defender clouded the judgement of referee Graham Scott and it was only after a lengthy VAR check that he dismissed the defender.

Wilson, to no one's surprise, maintained his composure to slot home an eighth of the season, equalling his tally for relegated Bournemouth last year. But Fulham continued to enjoy the better of the territory and Newcastle were forced to defend a succession of corners as they struggled to work out what was needed to break down the depleted visitors.

Newcastle United: Darlow, Yedlin, Clark, Fernandez (Hayden 46), Dummett (Fraser 79), Ritchie, Shelvey, Sean Longstaff, Almiron, Joelinton (Gayle 75), Wilson

Unused substitutes: Gillespie, Lewis, Hendrick, Murphy, Carroll.

Goals:
Wilson pen 64 (Almiron drives into Fulham territory and threads Wilson through on goal where he has his heels clipped by Andersen. Referee Graham Scott points straight to the spot.)

Booked: Clark (72,f),

Fulham: Areola, Aina, Andersen, Adarabioyo, Robinson, Lemina, Anguissa, De Cordova-Reid, Cairney (Hector 64), Lookman (Bryan 90), Mitrovic (Loftus-Cheek 76)

Unused substitutes: Odoi, Ream, Reed, Rodak, Kamara.

Goals:
Ritchie og 42 (Fulham have the lead and it's no less than they deserve. Adarabioyo rises high above the Newcastle defence and powers a header into the goal mouth which is going wide until Decordova-Reid tries to turn home. The melee ends with the ball deflecting off the face of the unfortunate Matt Ritchie, who knows nothing about it as he turns it into his own net.)

Booked: Andersen (47,f), Robinson (81,f), Hector (90+6,f)

Sent Off: Andersen (63,lmf)

Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire)

Attendance: 0