Leicester crash the party to consign Newcastle to defeat in five-goal thriller on anniversary weekend

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Anniversary parties are not supposed to go like this. A football club felt crushed on its birthday.

There has been much pain in the 125 years of Newcastle United, so another blow is nothing new, but there was a twist and it felt cruel and harsh that a thrilling finish to this game should be decided in such a cruel manner.

Ayoze Perez, a substitute introduced in the 71st minute, had positively impacted the game until he charged back to help his once more overstretched defence in the 87th minute.

Then, after Jamie Vardy had ridden a tackle from the central defender Florian Lejeune, and crossed to the completely unmarked Shinji Okazaki, around eight yards from goal, Perez stretched with everything he had to stop what looked an inevitable goal.

Instead he struck the ball past Karl Darlow, into the goal at the Gallowgate End of this famous old stadium. The sense of devastation was huge.

There would be no way back from that. A city deflated. It immediately felt significant. Newcastle have now won one point from the last 21 available. They are a team struggling for any sort of form. A point would have been a good result. They had fought back to parity at two-all but then came the staggering finale.

It had started so well.

Newcastle, carried by an emotional crowd on the club’s 125th anniversary, had surged into an early lead. Then it had felt their night. Shooting towards the Gallowgate End in the first half, the momentum was all theirs. Jacob Murphy clipped a fine ball down the left, Dwight Gayle cleverly cut his pass back from the byline and it was perfect for Joselu, who, arriving around eight yards from goal, struck a right foot shot into the Leicester goal.

There have been times it has not felt an easy move for the Spanish forward, who cost just £5 million when he moved from Stoke. It did not then. The ground rose to give him acclaim and less than two minutes later there was almost a second. Mikel Merino slipped a fine ball through to Gayle and the former Crystal Palace striker elected to shoot early, around 20 yards from goal, and the shot fizzed past Kasper Schmeichel’s left hand post.

From then, however, it was Leicester’s night, and Demarai Gray in particular caused all kinds of problems for Benitez’s side. The 21-year-old would not get his goal until the second half, but he changed the game in the first, and gave his side the momentum to take control.

He saw a shot parried by Karl Darlow in the ninth minute, was booked for not retreating ten yards at a free-kick in the 11th and then shot over the bar a further minute later and in the 19th minute struck a delightful, curling shot that flew narrowly wide of the Newcastle goal.

It told you Leicester had taken control and for that they drew level a minute later. Mikel Merino gave the ball away cheaply just inside his own half, Leicester broke, the ball went to Riyad Mahrez and his shot flew past Darlow from 25 yards.

Newcastle were hanging on for periods after that. Marc Albrighton saw a shot parried and then a curling ball from Gray reached Danny Simpson at the far post, but he could only toe the shot wide. Jamie Vardy was denied by a saving tackle from DeAndre Yedlin. A mistake from Ben Chilwell that ended with Jacob Murphy seeing a shot tipped away by Schmeichel.

Still, Leicester had the lead on the hour, a fine cross field ball from Mahrez was laid off by Albrighton and Gray arrived to strike a shot that struck the thigh of Florian Lejeune and deflected past Darlow.

Newcastle rallied and found their equaliser in the 73rd minute. A corner was not cleared and it fell to Gayle. The Newcastle forward cut back onto his left and his shot took a deflection of Harry Maguire as it flew past Schmeichel.

The game was open and stretched and both sides went for victory.

With three minutes remaining, Leicester broke, Vardy shrugged off Lejeune’s challenge, crossed into the penalty area where Okazaki was all alone. He took a touch and Ayoze Perez, who had also not been on long, desperately lunged, struck the ball with his foot and his effort went past Darlow.

The despair was palpable. Leicester have lost one of their last 11 games. Newcastle have won just once across the same period.

Newcastle (4-4-2): Darlow; Yedlin, Lejeune, Clark, Manquillo; Murphy (Perez 71), Hayden, Merino, Ritchie (Atsu 64); Joselu (Mitrovic 88), Gamle.

Leicester (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Maguire, Chilwell; Ndidi, Iborra; Mahrez (Fuchs 88), Gray (Okazaki 73), Albrighton; Vardy (Ulloa 90).

Referee: Mr Neil Swarbrick