Calvert-Lewin Penalty Earns Everton Draw at Newcastle as Tottenham Lose Ground in Top-4 Bid 

Everton's English striker #09 Dominic Calvert-Lewin shoots a penalty kick and scores his team first goal during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on April 2, 2024. (AFP)
Everton's English striker #09 Dominic Calvert-Lewin shoots a penalty kick and scores his team first goal during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on April 2, 2024. (AFP)
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Calvert-Lewin Penalty Earns Everton Draw at Newcastle as Tottenham Lose Ground in Top-4 Bid 

Everton's English striker #09 Dominic Calvert-Lewin shoots a penalty kick and scores his team first goal during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on April 2, 2024. (AFP)
Everton's English striker #09 Dominic Calvert-Lewin shoots a penalty kick and scores his team first goal during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Everton at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on April 2, 2024. (AFP)

After 23 games without a goal, Dominic Calvert-Lewin was a picture of calm as he fired home an 88th-minute penalty that could be crucial to Everton’s hopes of Premier League survival.

The England striker stepped off the bench in the second half at St James’ Park with his relegation-fighting team trailing 1-0 to a dominant Newcastle.

With Nottingham Forest on its way to a 3-1 win against Fulham, Everton desperately needed something to stay ahead of the Midlands club, which is also in a battle to avoid the drop.

Calvert-Lewin's last goal was on Oct. 29 against West Ham — but, with the pressure on and time running down, he was willing to take responsibility from the spot and salvaged a 1-1 draw that kept 16th-place Everton one point ahead of Forest in 17th.

“He has been working hard and getting in the right areas. He strikes it well enough to go in and I am pleased for him and the group,” Everton manager Sean Dyche said.

Even after Calvert-Lewin’s rescue act, Everton is still without a league win in 2024.

It is four points clear of Luton in 18th, but having already been handed a six-point deduction this season for breaching the league's financial rules, it could face more punishment for further breaches.

All Dyche can do is to concentrate on turning things around on the field.

“This job wasn’t a walk in the park when I got it and it is still not,” he said. “There is a long way to go, but there are a lot of steps we are making in the right direction.”

The form book might suggest otherwise, with Everton's winless run in the league extending to 13 games, but it is.

The draw hardly helped Newcastle either after the home team had looked set to boost its hopes of securing European soccer next season when Alexander Isak struck in the 15th.

It was the Sweden international's 19th goal of the season and came after he showed quick feet in the box before sweeping a low shot past Jordan Pickford.

Everton defender James Tarkowski inadvertently hit his own crossbar with an attempted clearance in the second half and VAR denied Newcastle a second goal through Dan Burn for offside before Everton's leveler.

Again VAR intervened by inviting referee Tony Harrington to review footage of substitute Paul Dummett hauling Ashley Young to the ground.

The official duly pointed to the spot and Calvert-Lewin did the rest.

“It was a decent performance, but we needed a second goal. We were on the end of two tight decisions,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said. “Bar that penalty we go on to win that game. It would have been a tight win but a deserved one."

Relegation rivals

Nottingham Forest moved three points clear of the drop zone with the win over Fulham.

Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White fired Forest into a 3-0 halftime lead. Tosin Adarabioyo pulled one back for Fulham after the break.

Second from bottom Burnley is unbeaten in four after a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton but Forest's win saw it slip six points adrift of safety.

Crystal Palace could still be dragged into a survival fight after a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth extended its winless run to four games.

Justin Kluivert scored the only goal of the game in the 79th to move Bournemouth up to 11th.

Palace is on 30 points — eight clear of the relegation zone.

A big enough win could have seen Tottenham move ahead of fourth-place Aston Villa in the race for Champions League qualification, but Ange Postecoglou's team was held 1-1 at West Ham.

Brennan Johnson opened the scoring in the fifth minute for Tottenham at London Stadium. But the visitors couldn’t hold onto their lead, with Kurt Zouma equalizing for West Ham in the 19th.

West Ham had a golden chance to take all three points when Michail Antonio was through on goal in the second half, but could not beat goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.



Manchester United’s Amorim: 'I Will Not Have Time, I Have to Get it Right, Fast'

Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Manchester United - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - April 1, 2025 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim REUTERS/Chris Radburn
Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Manchester United - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - April 1, 2025 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim REUTERS/Chris Radburn
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Manchester United’s Amorim: 'I Will Not Have Time, I Have to Get it Right, Fast'

Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Manchester United - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - April 1, 2025 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim REUTERS/Chris Radburn
Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Manchester United - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - April 1, 2025 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim REUTERS/Chris Radburn

Ruben Amorim insisted he will not be given much time to turn things around as Manchester United manager, as his team slumped to another defeat at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
Former United forward Anthony Elanga's fine early goal earned Forest a comfortable win at the City Ground, with the visitors slipping to their 13th defeat of the season in the Premier League.
Tuesday's loss takes United to within one of their record of 14 Premier League defeats in the 2023-24 season, leaving them languishing down in 13th in the table as Amorim struggles to instigate any real change.
"In Manchester United, you don't have the time," Amorim said. "I will not have the time. We have to get it right fast.
"In here, the pressure is too big sometimes. We start the game suffering a goal and put Nottingham in the place they want to be - defending with lots of men - then they have really fast players to make transitions.
"Even with that, we controlled the game quite well, especially in the second half. We push forward but again, in the final third, we were not good enough."
Alejandro Garnacho was especially wasteful in attack for United, finishing the match having had six of United's 24 shots at goal, without really testing Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Amorim has defended the young Argentine in the past, and again insisted Garnacho's overall efforts are of the standard required.
"He is making everything," Amorim added, according to Reuters. "He's trying. Sometimes you have one day that you are doing the right things, but in the final third, you are not that good, that can happen.
"The most important thing for me is that when he needs to run back, he is running back. Of course we want a player that has one against one. Sometimes he is trying too much.
"I think he wants to help the team to do his best, sometimes he doesn't make the best choice, but you cannot point to any player today."