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1 day ago
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Delight will have been tinged with bewilderment for Eddie Howe as Newcastle finally found the route to victory on the road in the Premier League this season. Newcastle were superb as they routed Everton, scoring more goals in one devastating evening than in their previous seven away games combined. He may rightly question why it has taken so long for this punishing form to materialise.
Newcastle had taken the lead in their three previous away fixtures and lost them all. There would be no lapses on this occasion. A ruthless display, aided and abetted by some dreadful Everton defending, ensured a first Premier League away win since the trip to Leicester on 7 April was effectively secure by half-time.
Nick Woltemade’s tidy feet and the pace of Anthony Elanga hurt Everton whenever they took possession. The pair combined 20 seconds after kick-off when Woltemade released the winger clear of Vitalii Mykolenko and Jordan Pickford was forced to tip Elanga’s low drive around a post.
From the resulting corner, delivered superbly by Lewis Miley, Newcastle centre-half Malick Thiaw rose between James Tarkowski and Michael Keane to open the scoring with a close-range header. At 55 seconds, the Germany international’s goal was the fastest in the Premier League this season, beating Phil Foden’s 59-second effort for Manchester City against Leeds earlier in the day.
Everton responded well to the early jolt and dominated until handing Newcastle their second. The rapport between Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall regularly stretched the visitors, but aside from a Keane strike that was deflected overthey struggled to create a clearcut chance.
Aaron Ramsdale enjoyed a quiet introduction to the Newcastle starting lineup. The decision over whether to drop Nick Pope after his latest mistake in Marseille in midweek was taken for Howe with the keeper injuring his groin in training on Friday. His replacement was well protected by Dan Burn, Thiaw and the rest of the Newcastle defence.
The same could not be said of Pickford, though it was his error that allowed the visitors to double their lead. Elanga again caused chaos when beating Mykolenko down the right. Burn did well to divert a Tino Livramento shot that was heading wide back to Miley and his drive from the edge of the area sailed in through Pickford’s guard.
Quite what England’s No 1 was thinking as he tried to pat the ball down, succeeding only in knocking it through his legs, is anyone’s guess. The Newcastle travelling support relished that slip by the Sunderland fan they love to bait.
There was no stirring reaction from the hosts this time. Without Idrissa Gueye, who was serving the first of a three-match ban for slapping Keane at Manchester United, Everton’s midfield was carved open repeatedly. Gueye’s replacement, Tim Iroegbunam, toiled badly for the 45 minutes he was on.
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The midfielder erred before Pickford for Newcastle’s second goal when mis-controlling what should have been a routine clearance before Livramento shot. He was also at fault for Newcastle’s third when failing to cut out Livramento’s pass towards Elanga, With Everton’s central defenders chasing back from a set-piece, the winger simply turned the ball inside to the unmarked Woltemade who lifted a cool, measured finish over Pickford. Game over.
Iroegbunam was replaced at the interval by Carlos Alcaraz who rattled the crossbar after Ramsdale had clawed away a James Garner corner on his goalline. But Newcastle remained the more dangerous side and added a fourth after Pickford made two good saves in quick succession to deny Harvey Barnes and Woltemade. Lewis Hall swept a delightful cross to the far post where Thiaw powered in his second header of the game.
Thierno Barry thought he had finally broken his Everton duck when slicing in from close range and celebrating as though he had netted a winner. The relief of a first Everton goal disappeared when the video assistant referee disallowed the effort for a handball by Barry before he converted. Dewsbury-Hall did manage a consolation with a fine finish from Tarkowski’s pass.
