Bournemouth have recorded a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United to leave Steve McClaren on the brink of an exit from St James' Park.
Speculation that McClaren could depart the club should he lose this Premier League fixture had been denied, but the manner of the setback and chants from the home crowd demanding that he be removed from his position could lead to Mike Ashley acting in the coming days.
© Getty Images
Newcastle began the match on the front foot, with Jonjo Shelvey drilling a shot just wide of the post, but Bournemouth wasted two chances to take the lead inside the opening 15 minutes.
First of all, Max Gradel directed a shot just off target from the centre of the penalty area, before Benik Afobe volleyed over the crossbar from a similar position.
Back up the other end, Emmanuel Riviere had a strike deflected wide by a last-ditch challenge, but five minutes later, Bournemouth were ahead in fortuitous circumstances.
The ball was played out to Joshua King who soon sent a low cross into the middle, but as Rob Elliot was about to claim, Steven Taylor slid in and deflected the ball into his own net.
© Getty Images
After the restart, Adam Smith forced a solid stop out of Elliot before the home side finally came to life, with Aleksandar Mitrovic and Moussa Sissoko going close.
However, with 20 minutes remaining, Bournemouth doubled their lead after Matt Ritchie play in King, who kept his composure and fired the ball past Elliot from 12 yards.
It appeared as though the game was over as a contest, but with 10 minutes remaining, Ayoze Perez halved the deficit after running onto a Shelvey pass and applying the finish past Artur Boruc.
They could not find a second, however, and deep into added-on time, Charlie Daniels broke clear to put the game beyond the Magpies and move his club 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
Darren Plant
