Source: Daily_Mail
West Brom 2 Newcastle 3:Duff sets up a crazy victory to lift Kinnear
News of Newcastle[LNB]'s victory will hopefully have been a tonic for manager Joe Kinnear, but this match would have tested the constitution of the hardiest manager, let alone one with a history of heart problems.[LNB]It is hard to imagine a match which better illustrates the kind of stress football teams can place on their managers, but it was credit to Newcastle they emerged as winners on a day when Kinnear was facing a much more serious challenge.[LNB]Chris Hughton was in charge of the team after Kinnear, 62, was taken to hospital yesterday having apparently collapsed at the team hotel, and he saw Newcastle take a 2-1 lead in a knockabout opening few minutes of horrific defending. [LNB][LNB] That's for you: Steven Taylor sends a message to Joe Kinnear[LNB] Inspired display: Damien Duff celebrates his goal[LNB] Everton 3 Bolton 0[LNB]Sunderland 2 Stoke 0[LNB]Wigan 0 Fulham 0[LNB]Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear admitted to hospital after ill-turn [LNB]West Brom v Newcastle: How the game unfolded[LNB]WEST BROM NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]NEWCASTLE NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]Man City 1 Middlesbrough 0[LNB]Blackburn 0 Aston Villa 2[LNB]Chelsea 0 Hull 0[LNB]In such circumstances, the assistant manager was as pleased as he could be with the players' triumph in adversity. Hughton said: 'They are very fond of Joe as a manager and appreciate the job he has done.[LNB]'They were all aware of what had happened and I am sure it was in their minds. It was a spirited performance.'[LNB]Those bizarre opening moments left Newcastle 2-1 up and another goal before half time would have sealed the win for most other teams.[LNB] Just Loven' it: Peter Lovenkrands nets Newcastle's second goal[LNB]But Marc-Antoine Fortune's second goal of the game for West Brom with 17 minutes left began another frantic period in which the home team might have snatched an equaliser.[LNB]In the end, however, the worst-run club in the Premier League prevailed over what is arguably the best because, for once, Newcastle were less of a shambles on the pitch than their opponents.[LNB]When home manager Tony Mowbray called it 'Keystone Kops defending', he defamed the hapless heroes of silent movies.[LNB] Facing the crunch: Damien Duff (right) and West Brom's Robert Koren battle for the ball[LNB]Mowbray, who expressed solidarity with Kinnear in their stressful jobs, was put through the wringer himself, especially by Leon Barnett.[LNB]Playing his first game for three weeks, Barnett took barely a minute to begin the startling early goal rush. Shola Ameobi's ball forward hit one leg, then the other of the home centre back and Damien Duff ran on to slot the ball through Scott Carson's legs. Two minutes later, mistakes in the Newcastle defence allowed Borja Valero to play in Fortune for a smart finish, but in the ninth minute Barnett was again culpable as Peter Lovenkrands regained the lead for Newcastle.[LNB]The Albion players' anxiety at being behind in a game they really needed to win was obvious, and the greater topflight nous of some of Newcastle's players began to tell. It was most apparent in the centre of midfield where Nicky Butt and Kevin Nolan made Kim Do-Heon and Valero look lightweight.[LNB] Concern for Kinnear: Newcastle owner Mike Ashley (right) and chairman Derek Llambias were on hand to see the victory over West Brom[LNB]Another piece of abysmal defending allowed the unmarked Steven Taylor to head home Ryan Taylor's corner and Newcastle looked home and hosed.[LNB]Half-time substitute Filipe Teixeira set up Fortune for another impressive finish. Carson was then immediately forced to save smartly from Lovenkrands, who sent another chance wide after Bednar had dived to try to claim a penalty, and Valero's header drifted wide.[LNB]Try as they might, West Brom could not conjure another clear-cut opening. Mowbray said: 'I think we shot ourselves in the foot today. You can't defend like that at any level and expect to win the game. All three goals were gifts for them.'[LNB]The usually supportive Hawthorns crowd booed at the end. 'I think the supporters are right to be disappointed,' admitted Mowbray. 'We were playing against a team in and around us and the expectation was that we would beat Newcastle today.[LNB]'We are still one victory from getting out of the bottom three but today was a missed chance, regardless of what anyone else did.'[LNB]WEST BROM (4-4-2): Carson; Hoefkens, Meite, Barnett, Robinson; Koren, Kim (Teixeira 46min), Valero (Moore 84), Brunt (Bednar 46); Morrison, Fortune. Subs (not used): Kiely, Cech, Pele, Mulumbu. Booked: Barnett, Koren. [LNB]NEWCASTLE (4-4-2): Harper; S Taylor, Coloccini, Bassong, Enrique; R Taylor, Nolan, Butt, Duff; Lovenkrands (Xisco 90), Ameobi (Viduka 80). Subs (not used): Forster, Cacapa, Smith, Geremi, Edgar. Booked: R Taylor, Nolan. [LNB]Referee: C Foy (Merseyside). [LNB] Everton 3 Bolton 0[LNB]Sunderland 2 Stoke 0[LNB]Wigan 0 Fulham 0[LNB]Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear admitted to hospital after ill-turn [LNB]West Brom v Newcastle: How the game unfolded[LNB]WEST BROM NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]NEWCASTLE NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]Man City 1 Middlesbrough 0[LNB]Blackburn 0 Aston Villa 2[LNB]Chelsea 0 Hull 0[LNB][LNB] [LNB]
