Soccer Blog Video

A frustrated Newcastle United failed to break down Swansea City in a goalless Premier League draw at St James's Park.
Alan Pardew's side have now gone five games without a win after starting the season with an 11-game unbeaten run.

Demba Ba proved the hosts' biggest threat throughout, but he could not find a way past Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm, who kept his eighth clean sheet in 16 Premier League games.

Ba and Fabricio Coloccini both hit the woodwork for Newcastle, while Scott Sinclair shot wide with the only Swansea chance of note.

The match was preceded by an emotional tribute to Gary Speed, who sent six years at St James's Park. The ceremony was postponed to ensure Speed's family could attend, and they stood with Alan Shearer for a rousing rendition of 'Bread of Heaven' followed by a minute's applause.


The game started slowly, with Newcastle looking to halt a run of four games without a win,

Captain Coloccini returned to bolster a back line breached four times at Norwich last weekend, though Ryan Taylor was a late injury casualty, joining Steven Taylor on the casualty list. Cheik Tiote also returned, adding drive an dynamism in midfield.

Coloccini nearly gave Newcastle the lead on 20 minutes, when Yohan Cabaye delivered a pacy free-kick into the box and the mop-haired Argentine arrived to send a diving header against the outside of the post.

Three minutes later Ba struck the woodwork. The in-form striker volleyed into the ground from a Leon Best chest-down, and the ball bounced past Vorm and onto the upright.

Ba again came close to his 12th Premier League goal of the season two minutes later, when he collected a Gabriel Obertan cross, spun and saw his goalbound shot blocked by Ashley Williams.

The forward was then denied by Vorm when he struck a powerful volley from a Jonas Gutierrez knockdown, but the powerful Senegalese international was proving a real handful for Swansea's centre-backs Williams and Steven Caulker.

Gutierrez went close just before half-time, when he cut inside from the left and fired just over from 25 yards.

The Welsh side offered little going forward. Joe Allen provided some moments of quality but Tim Krul barely touched the ball in the first period.

Swansea are a doughty defensive outfit however, and they tightened up after the break, doing a better job of keeping the ball away from Newcastle's danger men.

Ba still had his moments; volleying over at the back post after Danny Simpson picked him out with a cross from the right, having a looping header saved by Vorm and blasting a last-gasp shot into the crowd.

Cabaye fired into the side netting from a tight angle, while Shola Ameobi brought and agile save from Vorm after Davide Santon played him in with a slide-rule pass.

As the home side looked to have punched themselves out, Swansea enjoyed their best spell late on. However, they could not bring a meaningful save from Krul.

Sinclair had their best chance when he jinked past Simpson but dragged his shot wide of the far post.

Despite his side's lack of goal threat, Swansea's Brendan Rodgers will be much the happier manager after keeping Newcastle at bay.
Alex Chick - twitter.com/alexchick81 / Eurosport

Source: eurosport

Team Line-up:
NEWCASTLE: Krul; Simpson, Perch, Coloccini (c), Santon; Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez; Best, Ba... Subs: Harper, Williamson, Abeid, Vuckic, Ben Arfa, Sammy Ameobi, Shola Ameobi.
SWANSEA: Vorm, Richards, Williams, Caulker, Taylor, Britton, Allen, Gower, Routledge, Graham, Sinclair... Subs: Tremmel, Dyer, Dobbie, Monk, Lita, Moore, Agustien