Premierleague.com rifles through the annals of the Barclays Premier League to find significant events.
On this day: 18 March 1998: Newcastle United 1-2 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace ended a run of eight consecutive Barclays Premier League defeats with a surprise victory over Newcastle United, which boosted the South London side's fading hopes of avoiding relegation.
The Eagles, who had endured a run of 15 matches without a win before travelling to St James’ Park, stunned the home crowd by taking a quickfire two-goal lead, courtesy of Attilio Lombardo and 20-year-old striker Matt Jansen.
Newcastle’s talismanic forward Alan Shearer pulled a goal back for the hosts, but Palace held on for a vital win in their pursuit of Barclays Premier League safety. The result left Newcastle just four points above the drop zone, just a season after finishing second in the division.
Crystal Palace, with Lombardo as player-manager after Steve Coppell’s dismissal, could not avoid the drop and finished 20th, seven points adrift of safety.
Newcastle found some form late in the season under the guidance of Kenny Dalglish, and qualified for the UEFA European Cup-Winners Cup after reaching the final of the FA Cup.
