Interesting game that, if a little odd.
Newcastle managed to fall into the standard trap for a team that chooses to play 4-5-1 when it isn't their normal formation.
They got it into their head that it was a defensive move (which it was, to some extent, at least), so were far too passive and completely failed to impose themselves on the game in the first half.
The three in Newcastles midfield also seemed to feel that, because they had one more player in there than normal, that none of them needed to take any responsibility to do anything useful - like make tackles or passes.
The change to 4-4-2 changed their mentality, as much as anything.
Suddenly they went onto the front foot and took control of the game. Going two up front gave the option to play longer, which is what Newcastle are best at, but Everton failed to win as many second balls as they should given that they then had the extra man in midfield.
Pain in the arse that Everton's 'gol di Anichebe' wasn't given, since I'll now have to listen to at least a week of mind-numbing comments about the need for goal-line technology.
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