Newcastle United U21s scored twice in added time to pull off a sensational comeback victory over Crystal Palace and end their six-match losing run. Jay Turner-Cooke levelled the contest before Lewis Miley netted the winning goal minutes later to seal a much-needed 3-2 win on Monday afternoon.
Elliott Dickman named four changes from the side who suffered a narrow home defeat to Sheffield United in their last outing. Alex Murphy, Dylan Stephenson, Jay Turner-Cooke, and the younger Miley brother all returned to the fold after joining Eddie Howe's squad for the warm weather training camp in Saudi Arabia.
Miley fired the Magpies ahead at the break against the run of play, but a double from Killian Phillips looked to put Palace on course for victory. However, Turner-Cooke and Miley remarkably turned the tie around in added time and here are three things we learned from Newcastle U21s first victory since October.
READ MORE: Crystal Palace 2-3 Newcastle United highlights
Miley's momentum
This was only Miley's fourth start at U21 level this season, but the 16-year-old already looks at home as the brightest star in this academy side. The wonderkid has already netted three times following this decisive brace, and it was a moment of magic which decided the contest.
Miley's first came following a smart interchange and a deflection which left goalkeeper Owen Goodman helpless. However, the second was just individual brilliance as he cut inside his man and fired into the top corner from a tight angle.
The double comes two days after making his St James' Park debut as a late substitute in the friendly victory over Rayo Vallecano. Eddie Howe called Miley up to the first-team training camp in Saudi Arabia along with four other academy prospects, and the attacking midfielder also made an appearance in the thumping win over Al Hilal.
Performances like this could catapult the teenager towards a senior competitive bow sooner than perhaps anyone expected. The Magpies face a hectic schedule in the coming weeks, and injuries or rotation could lead to Howe calling upon Miley as a bench option.
Turner-Cooke is another talent who could also come into contention, and did his cause no harm with the smartly-taken equaliser. The former Sunderland prospect has previously been praised publicly by Howe, and reports suggest a loan exit next month could be on the cards.
Losing run ends
The young Magpies were playing for pride on Monday afternoon, with their exit from this season's Premier League Cup already confirmed. Following an unbeaten league run, it has been a dismal two months after also bowing out of the Northumberland Senior Cup at Whitley Bay.
There have been humbling defeats along the way, and closely-fought encounters where Newcastle were perhaps unlucky to lose. This was arguably not their best performance of the run, but most importantly it was a result to stop the rot.
Newcastle took the lead against the run of play, but conceded twice after the restart despite an improvement in their display. Palace were guilty of spurning a host of opportunities, and the visitors had Jude Smith to thank for keeping them in the match.
Turner-Cooke and Miley then turned their final tie of 2022 around in a matter of minutes, and this could hopefully kickstart Newcastle's season. There is one dead-rubber Group E fixture to be rearranged, but the Magpies will look to carry over this momentum when they return to Premier League 2 action against Aston Villa on January 9.
Defensive concerns
Dickman has instructed his side to play out from the back, and has previously accepted the approach will inevitably prove to be a learning curve. This was brutally exposed by league leaders Leeds United at the start of last month, and has proved a regular concern throughout the Premier League Cup campaign.
Summer signing Alex Murphy has excelled at the heart of defence since his arrival, but the 18-year-old was shifted to full-back to face the Eagles. Newcastle were caught in possession on several occasions, including the build-up to Palace's equaliser seven minutes after the break.
The hosts struck the woodwork three times in total, and will be wondering how they ended up on the wrong end of a defeat. Smith denied Ademola Ola-Adebomi on a regular basis, as the Palace frontman often found space in the box all too easily.
The win rather than the performance is the most important takeaway on this occasion, with the young Magpies hopefully rediscovering belief that clearly wavered in their recent run. Yet as the academy team look to mimic the approach taken by Howe's side, it is clear that this is a process which is still a work in progress.
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