Bolton vs Newcastle 0-2

                                     

                                  Bolton vs Newcastle 0-2

Played

December 26, 2011 10:00 AM EST
Reebok Stadium — Bolton
Referee:‬ P. Walton‎
Attendance:‬ 26080‎

Newcastle United got their first three points in seven games thanks to a 2-0 victory over a feeble Bolton side on Boxing Day.
The defeat leaves Owen Coyle’s side just one point away from returning to the bottom of the table, while Newcastle stays seventh.
A scrappy half saw little goal action from either side, with a couple of almost identical free kicks the only highlights of a boorish 45 minutes. Ryan Taylor and Mark Davies fired set pieces for their respective outfits, with the opposing ‘keepers making stunning saves to stop the efforts.


The game awakened in the last 20 minutes of the tie, with Hatem Ben Arfa finally opening the scoring after coming off the bench, then, just two minutes later, Bolton’s fate was sealed as Demba Ba poked in a second.

The opening minutes of the game saw both sides battle it out for possession, but the first solid chance came from the visitors, with Jussi Jaaskelainen keeping out a curing free kick from Ryan Taylor. The right foot of the fullback placed the ball delightfully to the Finnish ‘keeper’s bottom corner, with the veteran timing his dive to perfection to preserve the goalless score line.
It was Tim Krul’s turn to keep out an accurate free kick next just a few minutes before the break. Mark Davies this time at the other end in a similar position to that of Taylor’s blasted the ball at the Dutchman, with the Newcastle man getting down well to push the effort away.
A pretty futile first half ended for both sides at the Reebok. Bolton looked to pile on some last minute pressure with a couple of corners, but Newcastle’s defense stayed dogged enough to see it. The free kicks were the only real talking point for the punters at the break, with both ‘keepers making the difference so far, while the strikers had failed to offer anything to split the difference between the sides.
The second period of the game looked to mirror the first, with the exception of Newcastle seemingly getting closer to getting an opener.
Bolton looked to have no attacking spirit at all and was punished on 69 minutes as a great run from Taylor allowed the fullback to whip the ball in for substitute Ben Arfa  to blast past Jaaskelainen, giving the ‘keeper no chance of getting to his low powerful effort.
Just two minutes later and the Magpies had doubled their lead. A good run on the other side from Gabriel Obertan saw the Frenchman cross the ball in front of goal and onto the toe of Ba, who with little pressure, popped the ball into the top corner from short distance.
The hosts remained a desperate outfit looking for the slightest sniff on goal, but a lack of positive movement and uninspiring substitutions saw the Trotters succumb to what they have tasted so many times during this campaign and left the visiting fans shouting at a solemn Owen Coyle “you’re getting sacked in the morning!”

 Bolton

 

Jussi Jaaskelainen
Goalkeeper

Paul Robinson
Defender
Gary Cahill
Defender
Zat Knight
Defender
Dedryk Boyata
Defender

Fabrice Muamba
Midfielder

Martin Petrov
Midfielder
Mark Davies
Midfielder
Nigel Reo-Coker
Midfielder
Ivan Klasnic
Striker 

David Ngog

Striker

Newcastle

Tim Krul
Goalkeeper

Fabricio Coloccini
Defender

Danny Simpson
Defender

Mike Williamson
Defender

Ryan Taylor
Defender

Yohan Cabaye
Midfielder

Jonás Gutiérrez
Midfielder

Cheikh Tiote
Midfielder

Demba Ba
Striker

Leon Best
Striker

Gabriel Obertan
Striker