Premier League Result: Newcastle foil huge Everton gamble

Leighton Baines put Everton in front after just 15 minutes
After news of Newcastle's injury woes began to surface, Everton came in for some huge support to win tonight's Premier League encounter. Mike Norman tells us how the gamble was almost landed.
It's not often you get a Premier League football club backed so heavily to win a game before a ball is even kicked, but nearly 6m was matched on Everton prior to their encounter with Newcastle this evening.
Backed at all rates from 2.01/1 down to 1.548/15 before kick-off the home side could manage just a 2-2 draw with Alan Pardew's men however, though they came agonisingly close to rewarding those that backed them at short odds.
The reason for the gamble was almost certainly news of the Magpies' injury problems which meant Steve Harper replaced Tim Krul in goal, whilst James Perch and Mike Williamson started the game in the absence of key players such as Fabricio Coloccini and Cheick Tiote.
And it wasn't long before the Toffees gave those involved in the gamble reason to cheer, Leighton Baines firing the home side in front inside 15 minutes after a neat interchange with Steven Piennar.
The Everton full-back was backed at 19.5n/a in the First Goalscorer market and at 7.87/1 To Score at anytime.
David Moyes's side looked by far the most likely team to get the next goal but it was Newcastle that came close to an equaliser when a Leon Osman deflection looked to be going into his own net until that man Baines made a magnificent goal-line clearance.
Piennar should have put Everton 2-0 up as the first half came to a conclusion but his curling shot from just inside the box went inches wide. The Half Time 1-0 Score wat matched at a high of 4.3100/30 In-Play.
Newcastle started the second half in blistering fashion and were back on level terms inside a few minutes when substitute Demba Ba latched on to a Yohan Cabaye through ball and slid the ball past Tim Howard. Ba was matched at a rather generous 12.011/1 To Score at anytime.
Everton twice should have re-taken the lead, first when Marouane Fellaini was incorrectly ruled offside (look at Steve Taylor's foot), before Victor Anichebe's header was adjudged not to have crossed the line (it did).
But with just a few minutes to go Anichebe's goal looked to have won the game for Everton when his low shot found the net, much to the delight of the Goodison Park faithful, and those in on the gamble of course. But there was more drama to come.
Within a few minutes of Everton taking the lead Demba Ba scrambled home his second of the game in the 90th minute, foiling the gamble and those that wagered almost 40,000 on the Toffees at odds of just 1.061/18.
Ba was backed at 80.079/1 to score two goals or more whilst the 2-2 Correct Score was matched at a huge 110.0109/1 In-Play.
The draw moves Everton up to seventh in the table, three points behind early leaders Chelsea. The Merseyside club can be backed at 8.615/2 for an ambitious Top Four Finish this term (Newcastle are 15.014/1), or at 2.56/4 for a slightly more realistic Top Six Finish.