England midfielder Ross Barkley headed a late leveler to salvage a 2-2 draw for Everton at Hull City in the Premier League Friday. Barkley headed the ball home in the 84th minute from left back Leighton Baines' cross after Robert Snodgrass had put Hull ahead with a superb free kick into the top corner 19 minutes earlier. Defender Michael Dawson had given Hull an early lead when he scored from Curtis Davies' flicked pass in the sixth minute but an own goal by home keeper David Marshall at a corner gifted Everton an equalizer on the stroke of halftime. Hull, who had lost five of their previous seven matches, climbed to second from bottom in the table with 13 points from 19 matches. Everton is seventh with 27 points, 19 shy of leader Chelsea. Gayle brace helps Newcastle back to top of Championship A double by Dwight Gayle propelled Newcastle to a 3-1 win over 10-man Nottingham Forest and back to the top of the second-tier Championship Friday. Newcastle's cause had been aided by fog forcing the postponement of leader Brighton's home game with struggling Cardiff. The Magpies — bidding for an immediate return to the Premier League — hold a one-point advantage over Brighton but having played a game more. Newcastle's match was almost as ill-temepered as its earlier fixture between the two teams — the leader having two players dismissed in the first game which Forest won 2-1 — but Gayle's class was the telling factor. Matt Ritchie put the host 1-0 up early on only for Forest's Nicolao Dumitru to level in the first-half. However, Forest's hopes of achieving the double over Newcastle and more importantly some much-needed points in their battle for survival dipped when Matt Mills was sent off after a second booking on the hour mark. Gayle restored Newcastle's lead with a smart volley and ensured the three points with a scrappy second for his 19th of the season. Third-placed Reading was unable to put any pressure on the top two — the only ones automatically promoted — as its home game against Fulham was abandoned due to fog. A late penalty by Jonathan Kodjia forced a share of the spoils although Leeds will count itself unlucky not to have taken all three points having hit the crossbar twice after it had taken the lead in the second-half through Pontus Jansson. — Agencies
