There have been plenty of great comebacks in the Premier League, some of which looked completely impossible at the time. Every now and then, though, you get a game that just stops making sense. Newcastle against Arsenal in 2011 was one of them.

Inside 26 minutes, Arsenal were cruising 4–0 up away from home. Newcastle looked beaten, the Geordie crowd had been completely silenced and it had that feeling where Arsenal could genuinely go on and score seven or eight. Yet somehow, by full-time, it was 4–4.

Four Newcastle goals, a red card, two penalties, a stadium completely transformed and Cheick Tioté scoring one of the most memorable goals of the Premier League era. For a game that seemed done and dusted inside the opening half an hour, it turned into something completely different.

Arsenal Had Finished the Game in 26 Minutes

Arsenal started ridiculously quickly. Theo Walcott scored inside the first minute before Johan Djourou made it 2–0 shortly afterwards. Then, inside ten minutes, Robin van Persie made it 3–0.

At that point, the game already felt finished. The Newcastle players looked dejected, the crowd had gone quiet and everything Arsenal had planned for seemed to be working perfectly. They looked faster, sharper and better all over the pitch; every time they attacked, it felt like they could score.

Then Van Persie got another. 4–0 after 26 minutes. At that point, it was just about damage limitation for Newcastle. The main aim surely had to be avoiding a complete embarrassment.

What Do You Even Say at Half-Time?

Going into half-time 4–0 down at home cannot be easy for any manager. What do you even say? You cannot pretend the first half has been unlucky, and there is no simple tactical change that suddenly fixes the scoreline.

At that stage, it is more about pride than anything else. Try to score one, do not concede again, win the second half and give the crowd something to get behind. That probably would have felt like a decent outcome at the time.

The Momentum Shift

Then came the moment that changed the game. Joey Barton went into a strong challenge on Abou Diaby, who reacted badly, grabbing Barton before also getting involved with Kevin Nolan. He was sent off and Arsenal were down to ten men.

Even then, surely a four-goal lead was enough?

But the atmosphere changed almost immediately. For the first time all afternoon, Newcastle had something in their favour. They had an extra man and suddenly had a reason to go at Arsenal, while Arsenal started dropping deeper.

Joey Barton Gets One Back

Newcastle were awarded a penalty and Joey Barton stepped up and scored. Newcastle 1–4 Arsenal.

There were still around 20 minutes left, so nobody was seriously talking about a comeback yet. It still felt like a consolation goal, but the biggest change was inside the stadium. St James' Park woke up.

Every Newcastle attack started getting a reaction and every Arsenal mistake gave the crowd a little more belief. Arsenal were dropping deeper and Newcastle had nothing to lose.

Then It Became 4–2

Leon Best got Newcastle's second. 4–2. That was when it started to feel a little bit different.

At 4–1, Arsenal were still comfortable. At 4–2, Newcastle only needed two and there was still enough time.

The Newcastle players knew it, the crowd knew it and Arsenal definitely knew it. The confidence they had shown in the first half had disappeared and Newcastle were starting to take advantage.

One More Penalty

Then Newcastle got another penalty. Barton stepped up again and scored again. 4–3.

Now Arsenal looked nervous. The team that had looked completely finished at half-time was suddenly one goal away from pulling off one of the strangest comebacks in Premier League history.

St James' Park was driving Newcastle forward, and there was still time left.

Cheick Tioté

87th minute. An Arsenal clearance drops just outside the penalty area and falls towards Tioté.

He does not take a touch or look for a pass. He just hits it — left foot, first time, from distance. The connection is perfect and the ball flies into the bottom corner.

4–4. St James' Park goes mad.

It is one of those goals where the celebration feels almost bigger than the goal itself. Newcastle had not won the game, but after being 4–0 down, it must have felt like they had.

One Newcastle Goal Was Enough

The story gets even better when you remember Tioté was never exactly known for scoring. That volley ended up being his only goal for Newcastle — one goal in his entire Newcastle career.

Not a bad one to have. Even now, mention Tioté to most football fans and that strike is probably the first thing they think of.

The Goal Timeline Barely Looks Real

Arsenal scored four in the opening 26 minutes and Newcastle scored four in the final 22. It almost feels like two completely different matches put together.

Arsenal Should Still Have Won

The red card obviously changed everything, but with a four-goal cushion Arsenal still should have seen the game out. What seemed to make the biggest difference was the atmosphere.

The first Newcastle goal gave the crowd something and the second gave them belief. By the time the third went in, it almost felt inevitable that another chance would come. Arsenal had gone from looking completely comfortable to just trying to hang on.

Imagine Leaving Early

There must have been Newcastle fans who left at 4–0, and who could really blame them? Twenty-six minutes played, four goals down at home and Arsenal looking like they could score every time they went forward.

At the time, five or six probably looked more likely than any Newcastle comeback. But imagine leaving and then hearing Newcastle had scored, then another, then another — and suddenly it is 4–4.

If there was ever a game that proved the old saying, this was probably it.

Never leave before the final whistle.

The Game Was Over. Until It Wasn't.

That is what makes this match stand out. It is not just the fact Newcastle came back, it is where they came back from. Recovering from 2–0 or 3–0 down is impressive enough; being 4–0 down after 26 minutes at home and still getting something from the game is different.

One red card changed the mood and one penalty woke the crowd up. Then one goal became two, two became three and somehow Newcastle got all the way back.

Newcastle United 4–4 Arsenal.

Eight goals, two penalties, one red card and one unbelievable equaliser.