Newcastle United strike late at Sunderland - but face tough task in WSL promotion push

After last week's derby disaster, it was the Women's turn this week as Newcastle United Women took on Sunderland Women at the Stadium of Light.

Tanya Oxtoby's lasses were hoping to succeed where Eddie Howe's boys had failed seven days prior in bringing home the bragging rights to Tyneside.

The lasses are gunning for promotion to the Women's Super League and having already beaten the Mackems 3-1 at St James' Park, things were certainly on Newcastle's side going into the game.

That's how the game started, too, with Newcastle the much better side from the off, dominating possession and creating the most chances. Most of which resulted in corner kicks rather than genuine attempts on goal.

Sunderland took the lead against the run of play

Against the run of play, however, it was the Mackems who took the lead via a clever finish from Katy Watson that totally wrong-footed Anna Tamminen in the Newcastle goal.

The goal didn't take the wind out of Newcastle's sails, though. Probably because it was extremely blustery inside the Stadium of Light, which seriously slowed down the tempo of a scrappy game.

Oxtoby's Mags kept piling the pressure on, and at the end of the first half, racked up four consecutive corners but were unable to do anything with them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by7da1OTbvg

Late equaliser saves point - but is it enough?

Newcastle thought they'd got themselves an equaliser when Emily Murphy found the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for a dubious offside call.

Super-sub Oona Sevenius did manage to put one in the net and have it count, though, bringing the ball under control and firing into the bottom corner to make it 1-1 in the 81st minute.

It was points shared at the Stadium of Light, which had a similar-sized crowd to the average men's game there, so hats off to the Mackem lasses.

Newcastle remain in the hunt for promotion, although failure to win today leaves them with plenty of work to do, leaving the Lasses fourth in the WSL2 on 32 points, behind Crystal Palace (third on 35 points), Birmingham (second on 38 points) and Charlton (top on 41 points).

As the top two are promoted automatically and third place go into a play-off match, Newcastle have work to do over the final three games of the season to catch Palace, who are currently three points clear in third.