It was actually going fairly decently for Newcastle on Saturday. Shola Ameobi had scored a goal. Newcaslte had provided themselves with some chances in the second half, but could not quite find a second goal. It looked to be all set for a draw.
And then Chiek Tiote committed a foul in the box, where Newcastle had three defenders to the one Swans attacker, and Wilfried Bony made no mistake from the spot and delivered Swansea a 2-1 win.
One could argue that Newcastle looked better in this match. For starters, the club bagged a goal, breaking what was an embarrassing drought. There was some sort of intent on offense, with Newcastle generating some chances. There was some desperate defending, and for once there wasn't a lopsided scoreline.
That said, to say Newcastle looked "good" would be a stretch. Part of this came from Mathieu Debuchy and Loic Remy beginning the match on the bench. Early injuries to Papiss Cisse and Luuk de Jong forced early changes, bringing Debuchy and Remy on before halftime.
Given all the grumbling about the Starting XI, it may be ironic that Newcastle's goal scoring woes were solved by Shola Ameobi. Shola's appearance in the line-up and especially as a starter usually is cause for complaints from the Toon Army, though today he linked up with de Jong to net Newcastle's first goal in four matches and stake the Magpies to a 1-0 lead.
However, just before halftime, Swansea was able to get a corner kick and Wilfried Bony beat Mike Williamson to the ball and headed home an equalizer, giving the Swans a vital lifeline in their survival hopes.
Newcastle did give themselves some decent chances in the second half. Vurnon Anita and Remy both let go long range attempts that did not miss the target by much.
However, one of Newcastle's late pushes back fired as Marvin Emnes went on a one man counter-attack. Newcastle scrambled back in defense, and may have made a shot difficult for Emnes. But, Tiote was the third man in and made a sloppy challenge. It was an easy decision for the referee to point to the spot and Bony made no doubts.
Boos serenaded Newcastle as they walked off from their fifth consecutive defeat. The volume of boos may have been harsh, given that Newcastle were in line for a point until the very end. But, enough is enough. It's the first time in the Premier League that Newcastle has lost five straight matches. Only three matches remain on the season, and for all involved, those three matches can't go by fast enough.