Newcastle United strike late to deny Southampton all three points at St. James’ Park | OneFootball

Deanna Cooper’s 99th-minute goal rescued a point for Newcastle United and earned them a 1-1 draw with Southampton in the first-ever Barclays Women’s Championship fixture to be played at St. James’ Park.

Freya Gregory’s early goal looked to be enough for The Saints to take all three points in a game of few clear-cut opportunities but Cooper rescued a share of the spoils for the hosts with her last-gasp heroics.

The visitors hit the front in the seventh minute after taking advantage of an uncharacteristic error from Magpies keeper Claudia Moan. She took too long with the ball at her feet, and Gregory nipped in to score from an angle.

The keeper redeemed herself to a degree three minutes later when Molly Pike tried to chip her from the right, tipping the ball onto the bar. Katie Barker then hit the woodwork at the other end with a long-range effort after 27 minutes.

Neither side were proving able to craft clear chances. Rachel Rowe carved out one opportunity for Southampton when she cut in from the right, but her shot was saved by Moan.

Newcastle United improved after the break, with forward Amy Andrews providing a spark from the bench. The former Durham striker teed up Jasmine McQuade on the edge of the box with 20 minutes to go, but Saints keeper Fran Stenson turned the shot over. Beth Lumsden was next to try her luck five minutes later after a lovely nutmeg on the left side, but she fired wide of the far post.

The majority of the 11,620 fans inside St. James’ Park were made to wait until the ninth minute of stoppage time to celebrate a goal. Cooper hooked a clever effort home after a corner resulted in pinball in the box.

Both sides are in Women’s League Cup action next weekend. Newcastle United face Liverpool at Kingston Park while Southampton travel to South Coast rivals Portsmouth.