Santiago Munoz nets first Newcastle United goal to kick-start thrilling comeback against West Brom Under-23s

Goals from Mo Faal and Jamie Andrews put West Brom in a commanding position at half-time before the hosts produced a stunning second half comeback with goals from Santiago Munoz, Niall Brookwell and Nathan Carlyon.

Andrews then netted a late equaliser but Newcastle had other plans with Josh Scott winning it in stoppage time.

It was a rare St James’s Park outing for the Under-23s side in the Premier League 2 as they went into the game sitting seventh in the table but knowing a win would take them up to fourth.

They faced a West Brom side who were just a point and a place below them when the sides kicked off.

Newcastle had the first big opportunity of the game as Isaac Westendorf headed over from close range.

But West Brom took the lead as Faal pounced on some indecisiveness at the back to stroke the ball past the charging goalkeeper Jake Turner.

Dylan Stephenson then saw another chance go begging for the host as he connected with Joe Oliver’s cross but couldn’t find the target. Moments later, Munoz came close himself with another header from Matty Bondswell’s cross.

As half-time approached, West Brom doubled their lead as Jamie Andrews turned the ball in from close range after the Young Magpies failed to clear the danger.

And Elliott Dickman’s side faced an uphill task as they looked to overturn their two-goal deficit in the second half.

Shortly after the restart, the hosts pulled a goal back as Munoz rose highest to head in Joe Oliver’s cross at the back post.

Moments later, the Mexican could have drawn Newcastle level as he fired over from Stephenson’s low cross. But United eventually made it 2-2 as Brookwell headed in from Jay Turner-Cooke’s delivery.

The comeback was complete 10-minutes later as Carlyon reacted quickest to turn the ball in from close range to make it 3-2 to the home side.

But there was more late drama as Andrews made it 3-3 late on only for Scott to pop up in stoppage time to win it for the Young Magpies.

NUFC U23s XI: Turner; Oliver, Bondswell (Barrett 88), De Bolle, Brookwell, Carlyon, Stephenson, Turner-Cooke (Miley 90), Westendorf, Munoz (Stanton 64), Scott

NUFC U23s subs: Barclay, Brown, Barrett, Stanton, Miley

West Brom U23s XI: Chisholm; Teixeira, Fellows, M.Richards, Taylor, Nguepissi, R.Richards (Ingram 61), King, Faal (Castro 81), Andews, Malcolm (Tulloch 60)

West Brom U23s subs: Tulloch, Hudd, Ingram, Castro

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