Updated Feb 5, 2011 6:43 PM ET Cheick Tiote's late volley secured a stunning point for Newcastle as they fought back from 4-0 down to earn a 4-4 draw with 10-man Arsenal. The Ivory Coast international pegged back the Gunners with a stunning 87th-minute volley after Joey Barton had scored twice from the penalty spot either side of Leon Best's fourth goal of the season.
Alan Pardew's men were in complete disarray as the Gunners raced into a 4-0 lead at St James' Park within the opening 26 minutes. Goals from Theo Walcott, Johan Djourou and a Robin van Persie double looked to have wrapped up the points and allowed Arsenal to keep the pressure on Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester United. But after midfielder Abou Diaby had been sent off for furiously pushing Barton to the ground after a no-holds-barred 48th-minute challenge, Newcastle, roared on by a crowd of 51,561, pulled off the most unlikely of recoveries. Life for Newcastle without Andy Carroll had got off to a bad start at Fulham on Wednesday evening, and the mood inside St James' was decidedly ugly by the time 10 chaotic minutes had elapsed. Arsenal were breathtaking as their pace and movement left the men in black and white at times bewildered. However, they met little resistance as a Newcastle side which had won 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium in November showed few signs of producing a similarly dogged display on their own pitch, even with combative midfielder Tiote restored to the side after his three-match ban. The worry before kick-off had been that, without Carroll, now at Liverpool, and the injured Shola Ameobi, the ball would not stick in the final third of the field and that would invite pressure on to Newcastle's back four. In the event, neither Carroll nor Ameobi would have made a significant difference as their side saw too little of the ball to worry the Gunners. They did not see it at all in amid a red and white blizzard as Arsenal had the game under control before they had broken sweat. Walcott had scored twice in a 4-0 Carling Cup victory on Tyneside in October, and he needed only 42 seconds to increase his tally as he ran on to Andrey Arshavin's pass and slid the ball past Steve Harper with Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson trailing in his wake. There were less than three minutes on the clock when Djourou was inexplicably allowed to meet an Arshavin free-kick seven yards out, and his header flew in off the underside of the crossbar. When Van Persie fired home a third goal from Walcott's cross in the 10th minute, a packed house settled down for what looked certain to be an agonising remaining 80 minutes. The first chorus of disapproval aimed at owner Mike Ashley rang around St James' Park as the game restarted. Wenger's men were simply irresistible, with Cesc Fabregas and Diaby dominating in the middle of the pitch to allow Arshavin, Walcott and Jack Wilshere to repeatedly run at the shell-shocked Newcastle defence. Arsenal increased their lead with 26 minutes gone when Van Persie headed Bacary Sagna's cross home, and it came as a surprise that the scoreline remained at 4-0 when the half-time whistle handed the Magpies brief respite.
Van Persie might have done better after running on to Williamson's weak header and shooting wide, and Harper managed to turn the Dutchman's shot against the post in injury-time. But the cracks started to appear after Diaby over-reacted to Barton's rugged challenge and pushed him to the ground to earn an inevitable red card. Newcastle took the Frenchman's untimely departure as their cue to step up a gear, and they got their reward after 68 minutes when, after Koscielny had brought down Best inside the box, Barton converted from the penalty spot to at least give the more optimistic members of the Toon Army some hope. Alarm bells started ringing for the Gunners when Best struck from close range with 15 minutes remaining, and when Barton drilled home a second penalty with seven minutes to play, a point was there for the taking. Tiote saved the best for last when he lashed an 87th-minute left-footed volley into the bottom left corner to complete a remarkable repair job. Kevin Nolan might even have won the game for Newcastle in injury-time, but that was a little too much to ask.
Updated Feb 5, 2011 7:00 PM ET Sub Niko Kranjcar struck in injury time to give Tottenham three vital points as Bolton were beaten 2-1 in a thrilling game at White Hart Lane. It was a spectacular 20-yard strike from the Croatian who has struggled this season to impress manager Harry Redknapp.
The victory keeps Tottenham in the chase for a Champions league place but it was harsh on Bolton, who deserved something after levelling 10 minutes into the second half through Daniel Sturridge following a first period which saw Tottenham handed two penalties within 60 seconds. Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart netted the first but missed the second after being ordered to retake it by referee Mark Clattenburg, who had spotted players encroaching into the area. But that hardly tells the story of a game which saw two teams intent on attacking at all cost. The match could hardly have begun in more spectacular fashion with referee Clattenburg pointing to the spot after just five minutes. It was a bizarre incident. Peter Crouch rose high to send a header goalwards, which Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen managed to scramble away but only to Vedran Corluka on the ground. The Croatian tried to play the ball in but it struck Kevin Davies, who was also in a prone position, on the hand. Van der Vaart stepped up to coolly plant the spot kick past Jaaskelainen. Less than 60 seconds later the referee was pointing to the spot again after Sam Ricketts hacked down the speeding Aaron Lennon as he slalomed into the area. Up stepped Van der Vaart once more and once again he planted the ball high to Jaaskelainen's right to send the net rippling. Unfortunately, this time Clattenburg had spotted Wilson Palacios, among others, encroaching into the area. He ordered the kick to be retaken and this time Van der Vaart went for the same spot sent the ball the wrong side of the post. In hindsight Van der Vaart should probably have allowed Jermain Defoe to take the 'third' kick but he is a confident man who probably believes he is going to score from the spot every time. To say that the first half was lively was something of an understatement. The teams could easily have gone in 4-2 at the break after Bolton's Johan Elmander rapped the Tottenham crossbar with a powerful header. Crouch, too, had several chances to extend Tottenham's lead and in injury time he was the focal point of another penalty decision. This time it was Bolton's Mark Davies who was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area from a Crouch header and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot once more. Fortunately for Bolton the assistant referee's flag was raised, having spotted Crouch in an offside position before the hand ball offence occurred.
Judging by penalty calls and chances alone it would be easy to think it was all Tottenham. It wasn't. There is more culture to Bolton these days under Owen Coyle. They are much more than a long-ball team even if much of their attacking threat still goes through big striker Kevin Davies. The arrival of Sturridge from Chelsea promises even more enterprise and the striker was a constant menace to Tottenham's defenders. It was no surprise when he came up with the equaliser. It was a neat, flowing move with Mark Davies carrying the ball deep into the Tottenham half before feeding Sturridge who opened up his body to send a left-foot shot swerving under goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who might have done better. There were yet more appeals for a penalty when Gary Cahill went tumbling in the Tottenham area under a challenge from Pienaar. Bolton appealed for the penalty and there did appear to be contact but the referee instead booked Cahill for diving. Jermaine Jenas hit the Bolton post with a stinging free-kick after 63 minutes and Tottenham would have retaken the lead but for a superb point-blank save by Jaaskelainen from new signing Steven Pienaar, who had come on at half-time. It looked as if Tottenham would have to settle for a point, until Kranjcar stepped up to smash home a winner which might yet be worth millions to Tottenham.