Newcastle United Women cause St James' Park to erupt with dramatic 99th-minute leveller

Substitute Deanna Cooper rescued a point for Newcastle United Women in the 99th minute with the last kick of the game as Becky Langley's side deservedly earned a 1-1 draw against Southampton Women at St James' Park.

Freya Gregory opened the scoring inside the first ten minutes, tapping into an empty net after Newcastle goalkeeper Claudia Moan got the ball stuck under her feet. However, there was pandemonium in the stadium in the ninth minute of eight minutes of added time as Cooper poked the equaliser into the back of the net after the ball pin-balled around the Southampton box.

In what was Newcastle women's first game at St James' Park this season, Becky Langley's side conceded after just seven minutes. Demi Stokes played the ball back to Moan, but the Newcastle shot-stopper got the ball stuck under her feet and was dispossessed by Gregory, who was able to tap into an empty net.

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Southampton continued to dominate the first-half, with Moan having to tip a Gregory effort onto the bar after ten minutes after she was played in behind the Newcastle defence. Newcastle's only real chance of the first-half fell to Katie Barker, who danced past a number of Southampton defenders before rattling the crossbar from 20-yards out, with Southampton goalkeeper Fran Stenson well-beaten.

Langley's side were much improved after the break, with Amber Keegan-Stobbs firing wide from the edge of the box after 65 minutes after the Southampton defence failed to clear a Newcastle freekick. The Lasses then went close twice in five second-half minutes. Stenson theatrically tipped over a Jasmine McQuade effort on 69 minutes, before Beth Lumsden nutmegged Milly Mott, before poking the ball wide of the right-hand post.

Stobbs was then bundled over on the edge of the box with about 20 minutes to go, but the referee saw nothing wrong with the collision, leaving Langley furious on the touchline. There was eight minutes of added time, with Newcastle furiously appealing for a penalty deep into stoppage time, but referee Lauren Whiteman was unmoved.

Then the 11,620 fans inside St James' went berserk after Cooper stabbed the ball home in the 99th minute in a crowded penalty area after Southampton twice failed to clear an initial Newcastle shot. Newcastle remain seventh, level on points with Southampton, and only behind on goal difference.