Depleted Newcastle fall to Belgian strike force

Triumph in adversity has been a favourite theme of Kenny Dalglish lately but in the most daunting circumstances yet of Newcastle's season - only 15 fit players - he was not able to repeat the phrase last night.

Most conspicuously weakened in attack, Newcastle simply had no focal point on which to base their attempt to recover the deficit created by Luc Nilis's classy 34th-minute goal and now Newcastle's chances of reaching the quarterfinals in March look exceedingly slim.

Nilis's fellow Belgian Gilles de Bilde scored a last-minute goal - and it is PSV Eindhoven's trip to Kiev, rather than Newcastle's to Barcelona, which will be pivotal in deciding who heads Group C. Even finishing second may be beyond Newcastle.

In Champions' League games each side is allowed seven substitutes but last night Newcastle could muster only four. Of these the most surprising inclusion was Darren Peacock's, the defender having been forced aside by the return of Alessandro Pistone. Other enforced re-jigging saw Temur Ketsbaia wide on the left with a lightweight attack consisting of Keith Gillespie and Jon Dahl Tomasson.

Initially the new formation had trouble competing with the fluent forward thrusts of PSV. Philip Cocu's runs from deep were posing Newcastle's midfield problems and the clever duo of Nilis and de Bilde was pulling central defenders out of position.

Shay Given made two useful saves early on with Newcastle restricted to one dipping effort from the lively Gillespie. But Newcastle briefly grew in confidence, Warren Barton shooting hurriedly when well placed in the 22nd minute.

Despite winning more possession Newcastle's dilemma was whom to aim for, Gillespie and Tomasson being dwarfed by PSV's tall back line. Set pieces, for which Philippe Albert could motor forward, offered the possibility of something more potent and on the half-hour Albert's presence at a corner resulted in a scramble in which Ernest Faber's backward header fell to Tomasson. But at full stretch he volleyed over.

It was costly: four minutes later Eindhoven went ahead. Nilis beat Given when he fastened on to de Bilde's cute flick and poked the ball home.

Gillespie kept plugging away but immediately after half-time could have shown greater composure after a rare mistake by Jaap Stam.

The decibel level soared when a John Barnes free-kick was tipped over by Ronald Waterreus. Hopes that this might be evidence of renewed Newcastle danger seemed to be supported by the fact that the game was being played almost exclusively in PSV's half.

Yet Newcastle were unable to translate that domination into shots on target, one excellent long range rocket from Steve Watson aside. PSV retaliated with Wim Jonk's elegant pass ending with a fierce, though blocked, strike from de Bilde.

Dalglish was hardly in a position to throw on a replacement and instead, with 20 minutes remaining, elected to switch Ketsbaia and Gillespie but that proved fruitless and it was Given at the other end who ended the game the busier goalkeeper.

Newcastle UTD: Given, Barton, Beresford, Barnes, Ketsbaia, Tomasson, Gillespie, Watson, Hamilton, Pistone, Albert. Subs not used: Hislop, Peacock, Crawford, Hughes. Booked: Gillespie. PSV Eindhoven: Waterreus, Vampeta, Stam, Numan, Jonk, Petrovic, Cocu, De Bilde, Nilis, Faber, Iwan. Subs not used: Van Ede, Bruggink, Moller, Claudio, Stinga, Temiukov. Booked: Faber, De Bilde. Goals: De Bilde 90, Nilis 32. Referee: B Gunter (Austria).