Keegan was in charge of Newcastle between 1992 and 1997. They were dubbed ‘The Entertainers’ due to their cavalier approach to defending, and his belief that the team had a duty to put on a show for the paying public.
Arguably his most famous moment came in 1996 when, as Liverpool scored in the last minute to beat his side 4-3 to all but end their fading Premier League title hopes, he slumped over some advertising hoardings. On Wednesday, as the Gallowgate End routinely chanted his name, it was Newcastle’s joy and Leeds’ heartbreak.
Harvey Barnes was the calmest man inside St James’ Park as the clock ticked into the 12th minute of stoppage time; he slotted home the seventh goal, and his second, of a crazy, frenzied, euphoric game. That same score line, 30 years on, this time brought unbridled joy to Tyneside.
Newcastle pay perfect tribute to Kevin Keegan's 'Entertainers'
Barnes had been there before, though. Two seasons ago, a brace helped Newcastle come from 3-1 against West Ham United at home. Weeks earlier, he’d secured a point against Luton Town with a critical equaliser. The former Leicester City winger is Newcastle’s 'Mr Reliable', so often there in the big moments; his consistency is more than impressive.
“It was a strange game,” Barnes reflected afterwards. “We controlled parts of it and didn’t in others. The performance wasn’t where we wanted it to be. But look at the scenes at the end; it is a special night to be involved in.
“It is chaotic [to play in that sort of game]. It was disappointing to find ourselves behind late in the game, but I thought we had belief we were going to get back into it at the end. We had chances. We are a group of players with a real team spirit and great character, a ‘never give up’ energy.”
Newcastle led for the first time in the game in its final minute. Leeds would score first, they would respond, constantly chasing and reacting.
That was the pattern of the game, too, and Daniel Farke has a very compelling case to suggest his side deserved more from the game. Brenden Arronson scored twice for the Yorkshire club; he never stood still and was a constant thorn in Newcastle’s side.
The home side were rarely in control; familiar issues were once again on show. It was far from a perfect night.
Malick Thiaw and Sandro Tonali, usually two of Eddie Howe’s most consistent performers, were hooked at half time.
Thiaw has been a revelation since he signed from AC Milan last summer, barely putting a foot wrong once and regularly setting the tone with his calmness in possession and in one-on-one situations.
But everything that could have gone wrong for him on the night did so. He could have been sent off early on, it was his slip which led to Aaronson’s first of the evening, and he gave away the penalty for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to make it 2-1 before half time.
Yet, it is now three straight Premier League wins as Newcastle climb to sixth. This was the first time they came from behind to win a match since February last year - also a 4-3 thriller at home to Nottingham Forest - and the first point from a losing position since May.
Things may well be looking up. Barnes certainly hopes so.
“We are on the right track,” Barnes said. “Results wise, it has been a lot better. Hopefully we can push on now. We’ve not been where we should be for most of the season, but if you look at the last few weeks, the table looks a lot better, we are in a [Carabao Cup] semi-final, doing well in the Champions League. If we can get that little bit more consistency, it could be a really special season.
Perhaps it was unorthodox, but on an emotionally charged night, Newcastle’s momentum got them over the line. Now they’ll hope it can continue and they can surge right back into the heart of the race for Champions League qualification.
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