Harvey Barnes’ 102nd-minute winner was truly incredible, providing a fitting conclusion to one of the great St James’ Park nights.
Leeds threw everything at Newcastle; Newcastle threw everything back. And for the first time all season, the Magpies came back to claim something from a losing position.
Barnes and Joelinton cancelled out efforts from Brendon Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a crazy Tyneside evening that built and built.
Aaronson’s second goal of the night, scored just moments after Fabian Schar was forced to leave the field on a stretcher, made it 3-2 to Leeds.
But Newcastle were not to be beaten, and when Aaronson handled Lewis Hall’s cross in the 90th minute, Bruno Guimaraes stepped up to level from the spot.
That would have been dramatic enough, but the final drama was delivered in the 12th minute of stoppage time. A scramble in the penalty area ended with Barnes stabbing a shot towards goal, and while Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri got his hand to the ball, he couldn’t keep it out.
Chaotic entertainment. How very Keegan-esque.
News of Keegan’s cancer diagnosis broke around two hours before kick-off. The term ‘legend’ can be gratingly overused in football, but when it comes to ‘King Kev’ and Newcastle, it barely even begins to explain the emotional power of the relationship that was built over the course of one era-defining playing spell and two stints as manager, the first of which transformed a football club, a city and, at least to some extent, the whole of English football.
Keegan has had his ups and downs with Newcastle – he successfully sued the club for £2m during the Mike Ashley era – but very few figures can boast his ability to unite the generations and engender universal affection from the St James’ Park stands. The first choruses of ‘There’s only one Kevin Keegan’ rang around the ground he is synonymous with in the final few minutes before kick-off, and reappeared on a regular basis. As he battles against cancer, he will know he has the whole of Newcastle with him.
How he would have loved this game. Newcastle thought they had opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Schar jumped with Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri after Malick Thiaw headed Hall’s free-kick back across goal. Schar appeared to have used his arm to help dislodge the ball and the effort was ruled out.
Barnes saw a low effort saved by Perri as Newcastle tried to gain the upper hand, but Leeds’ energy was continuing to cause problems and it resulted in the visitors claiming a deserved lead shortly after the half-hour mark.
Thiaw had looked uncomfortable all night, and under pressure from Calvert-Lewin, he slipped in his own half, surrendering possession. Calvert-Lewin rolled a pass to Aaronson, and the American drilled a clinical finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the 18-yard box.
Newcastle needed a response, and crucially, it arrived just four minutes later. Anthony Gordon did well to control a bouncing ball on the right of the 18-yard box, nudging across the face of goal. Nick Woltemade laid the ball off with his back to goal, enabling Barnes to sweep home a low finish from close to the penalty spot.
Suddenly, the Magpies had the wind in their sails, and they almost claimed the lead when Gordon’s free-kick passed all the way through a crowded area without touching anyone, with the ball cannoning against the far post with Perri beaten.
However, just as the hosts were getting the upper hand, Thiaw’s nightmare evening went from bad to worse. Jaka Bijol headed across goal, and as he tangled with Calvert-Lewin, Thiaw handled the ball. Calvert-Lewin dispatched his spot-kick, and Thiaw, who had already been booked for a wild sliding challenge, was perhaps fortunate to remain on the pitch.
He didn’t stay on for much longer as he was replaced at the break along with an out-of-sorts Sandro Tonali, with Newcastle levelling for a second time nine minutes into the second half.
Lewis Miley, who was moved into midfield to replace Tonali, did brilliantly to keep the ball alive next to the corner flag, and when Guimaraes chipped in a cross with the outside of his boot, Joelinton guided a superb glanced header into the bottom corner.
The game had become chaotic and after Schar hit the post following a bout of pinball from a corner, James Justin headed against the crossbar at the other end after Nick Pope completely misjudged a cross from the left.
Schar’s night ended in a horrible manner as he was stretchered off after going down in obvious pain, with Miley forced to play the final 15 minutes as a stand-in centre-half, and within four minutes of the enforced reshuffle, Leeds had reclaimed the lead.
Aaronson scored his second goal of the night, cutting in from the right to drive a low strike across Pope and into the far corner.
Was that it? No. Newcastle were awarded a 90th-minute penalty when Aaronson raised his arm to block Hall’s cross. Guimaraes was nerveless from the spot to make it 3-3.
And still, that wasn’t that. Both sides had chances in a manic spell of stoppage time, but Newcastle made theirs count when Barnes swivelled to stab home his second goal of the night.
Three wins on the bounce, still unbeaten at home since September. Newcastle are up to sixth in the table. The Entertainers live on.