ONE down and seven to go. Sunderland may have failed to reach the FA Cup Final yesterday but, according to Alan Shearer and all his teammates, every Premiership game Newcastle play until the end of the season might just as well be staged at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

It's a cliche but everyone's a cup final. The pressure is growing and it's starting to show.

There were nerves aplenty on display on Saturday at St James' Park and it's going to get far worse before it gets better.

On the plus side Newcastle should go into their last league game of the season at Liverpool with their Champions League aspirations still in their own hands.

Newcastle now have home games against Arsenal, Chelsea and Wolves with trips to Aston Villa, Manchester City and Southampton, along with the visit to Anfield.

Last season the talk was of an easy run-in for the Magpies. Wolves apart, this season the reverse is true.

The importance of Saturday's three points cannot be overlooked - a fact certainly not lost on Sir Bobby Robson.

With Liverpool leapfrogging Newcastle back into fourth spot following their 4-0 win at home to Blackburn yesterday, it was a game Newcastle just couldn't afford to lose.

Robson may have been playing the amateur psychologist, but with their next two Premiership home games against Arsenal and Chelsea, he is well aware that Newcastle just had to beat Everton.

Robson said: "I said to the players before the game that if we don't win here today then I don't think we'll finish fourth.

"I made it clear that we just couldn't even think about defeat."

Robson sees four wins from their remaining games as an achievable aim, but it may take five for that Champions League spot.

Robson certainly knew it was a must-win game against the Merseysiders. David Moyes' side arrived without their current first-choice strikeforce of Wayne Rooney and Duncan Ferguson.

On paper it appeared a home win banker and in the end it was. But Newcastle created their own problems by failing to put away an ordinary side shorn of their two most potent threats.

It all started well. A long punt forward saw Shearer easily out-leap Joseph Yobo and flick on for the galloping Craig Bellamy.

The Welshman too easily out-muscled David Unsworth before rounding Nigel Martyn and hitting his ninth of the season and his seventh in the last ten games.

Newcastle were in the ascendancy but eight minutes later Everton were level. Former Sunderland winger Kevin Kilbane fed Tomasz Radzinski on the left and his cut back was met by the out-stretched leg of Thomas Gravesen who steered home.

A tense spell ensued and David Moyes' side almost went ahead before Aaron Hughes managed to deflect Kevin Campbell's effort inches wide of the post.

Newcastle were in need of a some good fortune and it arrived in the form of Kieron Dyer's forehead in the 21st minute.

After picking up possession just outside the visitors' box Dyer, returning after missing four games with a hamstring injury, fed Ambrose on the right and then met his cross with a downward header.

The ball took a freakish bounce off the much-maligned St James' Park turf and looped beyond the despairing Martyn.

Everton came back after the break with Yobo's header flicking the bar before Shearer latched onto another slip from the Nigerian defender to place the ball through Martyn's legs from 12 yards.

Then the real nerves started jangling. A headed goal from former Newcastle defender Steve Watson was incorrectly ruled out for offside, before Gary Speed was forced off the pitch for stitches to a head injury.

While he was off Robson strangely decided to replace Ambrose with Lee Bowyer. This bemused the crowd who had to watch a ten-man Newcastle struggle to cope with Everton for six minutes before Speed's timely return.

A defiant Robson maintained he was right to keep Speed on. "Gary Speed was enormous for us because he's been ill midweek and was ill on Saturday morning," he said.

"We needed his heading ability late on, so we decided to wait for him after he got the cut over his eye. I was told he'd be ready to return in five minutes."

Speed was back in time to see the Toffees score their second in the 81st minute.

A Gary Naysmith corner found its way to Yobo at the far post and his header crept its way past a stationary Dyer standing on the post.

Not the best goal to give away according to Newcastle goalkeeper Given, who said: "It was sloppy. I was going for the ball, Campbell blocked me and then I think Woody's man scored.

"I need to see it again. But it was a sloppy goal and it could cost us at the end of the season."

Shearer fired home his 21st goal of the season late on to restore the Magpies two-goal cushion, but until his 90th-minute strike the nerves were jangling.

For the Newcastle fans the nerves will be jangling all the way to Anfield.

* Newcastle hope to have Jermaine Jenas fit for Thursday's UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg tie in Holland against PSV Eindhoven.

Jenas suffered a minor thigh strain in training on Friday.

Result: Newcastle United 4 Everton 2.

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