When Rob Elliot ruptured a cruciate ligament and it became apparent that Newcastle United would be reliant on Karl Darlow, their third-choice goalkeeper, for the final eight games of this season many Tynesiders believed they were as good as relegated. Instead, Darlow’s slightly unorthodox, yet efficient, approach to the job has made him an unlikely hero, something emphasised on Saturday when he threw his team-mates a survival lifeline by saving Yohan Cabaye’s second-half penalty.
Coming in the wake of Andros Townsend’s exquisite free-kick, Darlow’s intervention not only ensured Alan Pardew endured an unhappy return to Tyneside but lifted his former club out of the relegation zone.
With Newcastle one point ahead of Sunderland and two better than Norwich, who both have a game in hand, their position remains precarious, but what once seemed the merest flicker of hope is now a genuine flame.
Sam Allardyce is sufficiently worried by the Geordie renaissance to have suggested that, by way of celebrating reaching the FA Cup final, Palace would have been “on the pop” all last week.
If it was an attempt to provoke the visitors – who Sunderland’s manager also claimed would pull out of tackles in order to avoid injury – into action it seemed to be working during a first half largely controlled by a physically imposing visiting side for whom Yannick Bolasie and Newcastle’s former favourite Cabaye gave Newcastle frequent cause for concern.
Pardew may have his critics on Tyneside – although he was largely ignored by a former public who barely even acknowledged his technical area presence – but Palace’s manager is no tactical mug and clearly did a job on his former employers during a scrappy opening half. During that nervy, scratchy period Palace were consistently first to second balls and persistently prevented Newcastle from building up any sort of tempo or attacking momentum.
With Bolasie deployed wide on the left with a clear brief to target Vurnon Anita, the diminutive midfielder Rafael Benítez is deploying at right-back, at every opportunity and Cabaye cleverly preventing the home side taking command of central midfield, St James’ Park witnessed a few nervous moments.
By half-time anyone who dismissed Pardew’s hiring of Eddie Jones, the England rugby union head coach, to issue Palace with a pep talk this week as a mere publicity stunt, would almost certainly have revised their opinion.
Had it not been for the ultra-sharp reflexes of Darlow – whose positioning was, at times, scarily unconventional – Cabaye and Bolasie could have found themselves on the scoresheet.
Instead their respective shot and volley were well saved by a home defence that, despite having Chancel Mbemba booked for a foul on Bolasie as early as the sixth minute, had just about held itself together. If that was partly thanks to a combination of Anita’s diligence in the face of concerted pressure and Cheik Tioté’s combative presence in a midfield anchoring role, it was also down to Jamaal Lascelles.
The central defensive partnership of Lascelles and Mbemba has been a particularly encouraging facet of Benítez’s tenure and, appropriately, it was a tremendously timed tackle from the former that denied Connor Wickham an inviting chance just as Palace’s striker shaped to shoot.
A similarly smart interception on Scott Dann’s part thwarted Papiss Cissé following his connection with Tioté’s cute pass but bar making a fine low save when Mbemba unleashed a surprisingly good 25-yard shot, Wayne Hennessey was largely unemployed.
When it comes to the execution of free-kicks, Townsend is a specialist and, sure enough, no sooner had he been brought down by Dann than the winger was standing over the ball 20 yards out. Dispatched with his left boot, the ball curved elegantly over the wall and, much to the disgust of a wrong-footed Hennessey, into the far, top corner.
If Townsend’s role in Newcastle’s renaissance cannot be overstated, neither should Darlow’s. When Moussa Sissoko was, perhaps unfairly, adjudged to have handled a Cabaye corner he faced one of his biggest tests and passed with flying colours.
As Cabaye took the penalty Darlow hurled himself to his left, pushing the ball to safety and the home bench into a series of relieved hugs. It was far from the best the Frenchman has taken, but it still ranked as a fabulous save. Should they ultimately survive, it could yet come to be regarded as having been worth £100m to Newcastle.
As chants of “Rafa, Rafa, Benítez” echoed around the ground to the tune of “La Bamba” Pardew looked a little haunted. Those choruses probably hurt far more than the taunts he used to endure here.
