Soccer

Fine margins widen gap between Newcastle and safety

Relegation Round-Up: Stoppage time winner for Norwich leaves Newcastle drifting

Martin Olsson (2nd R) of Norwich City celebrates scoring his team’s third goal with his team mates during the Barclays Premier League match between Norwich City and Newcastle United at Carrow Road Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty Images
Martin Olsson (2nd R) of Norwich City celebrates scoring his team’s third goal with his team mates during the Barclays Premier League match between Norwich City and Newcastle United at Carrow Road Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty Images
Sat Apr 02 2016 - 17:24

Norwich 3 Newcastle 2

Martin Olsson scored in stoppage time to earn Norwich a vital 3-2 win over a Newcastle side now staring at Premier League relegation.

Aleksandar Mitrovic’s penalty four minutes from time had looked like rescuing a point for the Magpies to keep them three points behind their hosts. But Olsson’s precision finish leaves Rafael Benitez’s side six points adrift of safety with seven games remaining.

The Canaries, who can further boost their survival bid against relegation rivals Crystal Palace and Sunderland in the next two weeks, appeared to have thrown victory away.

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Mitrovic came off the bench to cancel out Timm Klose’s first Norwich goal. Dieumerci Mbokani scored three minutes later to restore the hosts’ lead, but Mitrovic then converted from the spot after Gary O’Neil was penalised for handball.

There was another twist to come as Olsson struck to earn Norwich back-to-back wins for the first time since the turn of the year, when they last won at home against Southampton.

Sunderland 0 West Brom 0

West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster denied relegation-haunted Sunderland the victory they craved as a first clean sheet in 18 games for Sam Allardyce’s side yielded just a single point.

Foster made important saves from Lee Cattermole, Jan Kirchhoff, two from Fabio Borini and another from Jermain Defoe at the death as the Black Cats made most of the running, but once again failed to profit from the opportunities they created.

Tony Pulis’ side offered little going forward with home keeper Vito Mannone largely untroubled, but they left Wearside having reached the magic 40 points and having edged their hosts deeper into the mire following the 0-0 draw.

Stoke 2 Swansea 2

Swansea took another step towards Premier League safety as they came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Stoke.

The Europe-chasing Potters looked destined for a fifth win in seven games after Ibrahim Afellay, on his 30th birthday, and Bojan Krkic had put them 2-0 up with goals in the 13th and 53rd minutes respectively.

But Jakob Haugaard — in the Stoke goal as a replacement for the injured Jack Butland — was then beaten twice on his Barclays Premier League debut, by Gylfi Sigurdsson’s strike in the 68th minute and then substitute Alberto Paloschi’s deflected shot 11 minutes later.

The result sees 15th-placed Swansea remain 10 points clear of the relegation zone, while Stoke stay eighth after what they will certainly regard as two points dropped.