Newcastle - 1 Fulham - 4: The first chants of "Souness out" were heard yesterday. They were ironic and came from Fulham fans, but if this sort of thing continues, it will be the home support calling for Graeme Souness next. Honeymoons do not last forever.
There will be all sorts of statistics used to defend Souness and Newcastle after this - a corner count of 19-0 to Newcastle being pretty persuasive evidence of their dominance, while Billy The Fish has had worse games than Mark Crossley in the Fulham goal. But the result was still a thumping, no matter how strange.
Cross aptly describes Souness's reaction to it all. Sent from the dug-out after 31 minutes for complaining about the referee's failure to award a penalty when Alan Shearer was rudely interrupted by Pape Bouba Diop, Souness was "extremely frustrated and bewildered" afterwards.
"If we had won 7-4 today, would that be unfair?" he wondered aloud. "Some of our football going forward was fantastic. We had 26 shots, 20 on target, but lady luck was not with us. We have come up against an inspired goalkeeper - Mark Crossley played the finest game of football of his career today."
Souness's opposite number, Chris Coleman, agreed, somewhat sheepishly. "The ball bounced for us today. A few decisions went our way. Our goalkeeper made great saves. Newcastle had far more possession than us, more shots on goal, but we took our chances," he said. "That could be our biggest result - no one comes to Newcastle and wins by three or four. We're privileged." Coleman was right, up to a point. The last time Newcastle lost by such a margin at home was the 6-2 mauling from Manchester United 19 months ago.
It just so happens Alex Ferguson's team are Newcastle's Premiership visitors on Sunday. After the 1-0 defeat at Bolton last week, this and then the prospect of Manchester United, Souness could be forgiven for thinking Sunday, bloody Sunday.
The fact that Chelsea arrive on Wednesday for a fourth-round League Cup tie gives Newcastle little time to recuperate, though it provides an opportunity for them to get this result out of their system. Just what Newcastle's system is, though, is a question fans may be pondering. Having started with Craig Bellamy on the left in a standard 4-4-2, Souness ended without full-backs and with five forwards.
The right-back Aaron Hughes was withdrawn for Laurent Robert with Fulham 1-0 up. The left-back Olivier Bernard was withdrawn for Shola Ameobi with Fulham 2-0 up and 22 minutes remaining. "You can criticise me for chasing it at 2-0," admitted Souness. "I hold my hands up." Jermaine Jenas went to cover for Hughes, but it is difficult to recall anyone filling in for Bernard. Two minutes after he departed, Tomasz Radzinski darted into the area and was felled by Robbie Elliott, who was already having a game to forget.
Steed Malbranque strode up to convert the penalty. It was the little Frenchman's second goal, his first coming four minutes earlier. Andy O'Brien was the Newcastle defender with his head in his hands after that one, having been robbed by Andy Cole. Malbranque rifled the chance past Steve Harper, who must have regretted that Shay Given's wife chose yesterday to have a baby.
Harper's day had begun badly. Hughes was the first to fail to protect his stand-in keeper on the half hour. After Cole's clever dummy had fooled O'Brien, Collins John twisted Hughes and drilled the ball through Harper's legs. And though Crossley had made three good blocks by then, Fulham could have scored twice. Cole was an inch away from a Luis Boa Morte run and cross and Cole earlier wasted an inviting position after an Elliott slip.
Souness, meanwhile, fumed. Angry because of an unpunished foul by Zat Knight on Shearer in the build-up to John's opener, he was ordered from the dug-out after his striker went to ground as he seemed likely to score the equaliser. "Maybe that was a penalty," said Coleman magnanimously.
Before half-time Zesh Rehman cleared a Bellamy volley off the line and Crossley was hit in the face by a point-blank shot from Patrick Kluivert, the first of two occasions when that happened.
But it was a three-minute spell near the hour that won and lost the match. During it Newcastle had seven corners but for all the scrambling and heightened volume, Crossley made one save from Robert. Going the other way, with Fulham's midfield of Diop, Malbranque and John all composed, the Londoners offered plenty on the break. Three ahead and with Newcastle shapeless, Malbranque's cushioned pass sent Boa Morte away to chip Harper beautifully. Fulham had their first away win of the season.
Not since the final game of last season, when tens of thousands walked out before a so-called lap of honour, had so many Geordies turned their backs. Those that did missed Bellamy's late header.
