Jason Tindall gesture sums up Newcastle mood after telling Marc Guehi expression
Lee Ryder
6 – 7 minutes
Jason Tindall glided around the technical area and shook his fists in sheer delight as Newcastle United went 5-0 up at St James’ Park.
As Crystal Palace had slipped behind early in the game, the Magpies’ main summer transfer target Marc Guehi had thrown his arms up in disbelief as Jacob Murphy’s shot scorched past him. Guehi’s night would go on to get worse as he put through his own net to score his second
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The Magpies lost the toss and kicked towards the Gallowgate End in the first half on a chilly April night at St James’ Park. It took just 20 seconds or so to force a corner, but the Eagles easily cleared from Kieran Trippier’s ball from the left.
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Given Fabian Schar’s heroics at Leicester – when he struck the crossbar before Jacob Murphy fired home the rebound in the 3-0 win – you can only assume that the Swiss star’s launched ball towards the goal of Dean Henderson was an attempt to score but the Palace stopper easily gathered on three minutes.
With eight minutes gone Bruno Guimaraes slipped in Jacob Murphy down the right and his cut back for Alexander Isak resulted in a stinging shot which Henderson saved well low down. Another chance would quickly follow after Murphy clipped in a cross but Isak headed wide.
With confidence brimming and Newcastle knocking the ball about for fun – and looking like they were enjoying every pass – it was no surprise when the Magpies went ahead on 14 minutes. And what a goal it was.
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A lovely move unfolded with Joelinton playing in Bruno through the middle with Palace managing to half clear the danger. Brazil international Bruno spun the ball back into the feet of Sandro Tonali who found Trippier before he simply helped it down the line for Murphy.
But then the magic really happened as Murphy took the slightest of glances at goal before unleashing from an acute, near impossible angle, with the ball flashing past Henderson and into the top corner! If there had been any doubts about Tonali’s similar fizzer last week, the way Murphy celebrated this time suggested he had every intention to shoot.
With 33 minutes gone Pope came flying out to punch clear after a Palace attack but was adjudged to have taken out Chris Richards. After a VAR check then a long check of the monitor, Darren England pointed to the spot at the Leazes End.
England international Eberechi Eze approached it with a slow run up complete with a stutter that usually spells trouble. And Pope calmly guessed the right way and almost cradled the ball to safety as if time stood still.
It was 2-0 soon after with Harvey Barnes breaking down the left and causing more damage. His ball into the danger zone was turned past his own keeper by Guehi and the Magpies were suddenly in full control.
Joelinton trickled the ball forward to Tino Livramento who picked out Barnes before his ball into the box struck off Guehi. It would be 3-0 in stoppage time as Tonali released Barnes down the left and he fired home like a man in form to extend the lead in first half stoppage time.
It was a wonderful bit of play by Barnes as he took five touches before sidestepping past Guehi before lashing past Henderson.
The Magpies went even further ahead when winning a free-kick mid-way in the Palace half. It looked like Trippier would whip it in but instead he back-heeled it into the path of Murphy who whipped into the box for Schar to flick home and make it 4-0.
The tale of the tape in the first half had resulted in nine goal attempts from Newcastle with 61% possession, and the Magpies had shown their lethal side by converting four of those opportunities.
Isak squandered another chance six minutes into the second half when Trippier’s free-kick was flicked on by Blyth warrior Dan Burn. But the Sweden star hit it straight at Henderson at the Leazes End.
Palace made a treble change four minutes before the hour mark as they went into damage limitation mode. Eddie Nketiah came on for Jean-Philippe Mateta with Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton joining him as Eze and Will Hughes went off.
But moments after those changes, Joelinton dispossessed Maxence Lacroix before Isak ran on and picked his spot to place the ball into the bottom right-hand corner to make it 5-0. It was a goal worth seeing again and again as he stroked home from just outside the D to beat Henderson for a fifth time.
Just after the hour, Joelinton and Murphy went off for Anthony Gordon and Joe Willock. Trippier went off with fatigue for Emil Krafth in the dying embers of the game.
Inevitably, with Newcastle in cruise control, the chances dried up as the game wore on. Gordon was sent through late on but sent his effort wide of the target.
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The end result sees Newcastle climb to third with six games left. The Magpies have their eyes on the prize that’s for sure.
Referee: Darren England (Doncaster)
Attendance: 52,197
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