second minute, Newcastle suffer their ninth defeat in 11 games with a 2–1 loss to Everton, further exposing the gaps in the Magpies' defence. 4 January 2013: Demba Ba is signed by Chelsea after the club triggered the £7 million release clause in the striker's contract. Newcastle also officially announce the signing of Debuchy from Lille for a fee of £5.5 million. 5 January 2013: A poor performance knocks Alan Pardew's team out the FA Cup at Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion, with Shola Ameobi sent off. 12 January 2013: A superb defensive display helps the Newcastle to grab a point at Norwich City in a stalemate. 19 January 2013: Defensive normality is resumed at home to struggling Reading as Adam Le Fondre's double gives the Royals their first win on Tyneside after Yohan Cabaye's 35th-minute free-kick. Pardew walks off to a chorus of boos after a poor managerial performance. 22–25 January 2013: Newcastle make four more new signings, all from France's Ligue 1. These were French internationals Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Moussa Sissoko from Montpellier and Toulouse respectively, as well as Yoan Gouffran from Bordeaux and Massadio Haïdara from Nancy. 29 January 2013: A hard-fought 2–1 win against Aston Villa pull Newcastle four points clear of the relegation zone. 2 February 2013: The Magpies record their first home win over Chelsea since 2006, with a dominant 3–2 win over the Blues, including two goals from new signing Moussa Sissoko. With the win, Newcastle further extended their distance from the drop zone, sitting six points ahead of 18th placed Wigan. 9 February 2013: Newcastle drop back to 16th despite a brave display in a 2–1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur. Yoan Gouffran's first goal for the club sees the visitors level at half-time but a Gareth Bale double results in a 2–1 home win. 14 February 2013: Papiss Cissé has two goals controversially ruled out, both for offside, as the Magpies are held to a 0–0 draw at home to Metalist Kharkiv. 20 February 2013: The club confirm a French Day for their home match with Southampton after signing five Frenchmen in January (Debuchy, Gouffran, Sissoko, Haïdara and Yanga-Mbiwa) to add to Romain Amalfitano, Sylvain Marveaux, Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa and Gabriel Obertan. 21 February 2013: Shola Ameobi scores his 15th European goal from the penalty spot as Newcastle beat Metalist Kharkiv 1–0 for their first European away win since