Newcastle come back to earn draw against Bournemouth
Striker Alexander Isak equalised from the penalty spot to earn Newcastle United a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth in their Premier League clash on a frustrating Saturday afternoon at St. James's Park. Newcastle dominated the first half, hitting the woodwork twice and seeing Neto pull off a string of fine saves for the visitors as Bournemouth deployed a tight five-man line across the back. But things went from bad to worse for the hosts as Philip Billing then scored for Bournemouth, guiding home a deft volley with his left foot to briefly silence the local crowd. However, that lead didn't last long as Jefferson Lerma was penalised following a VAR review for handling Kieran Trippier's cross in the box, and Isak stepped up to slam the spot kick past Neto. It was Isak's first goal at home for Newcastle since joining from Real Sociedad in August for a reported club record fee of 59 million pounds (US$67 million), but neither he nor his team mates came close to fashioning a winner. The draw, Newcastle's fifth stalemate in eight league games, moves the Magpies up to 10th in the table on eight points, while Bournemouth rose two places from 14th to 12th. (Reuters)