Newcastle 5 – 0 C Palace

Newcastle scored four times in the first half as they hammered Crystal Palace 5-0 to move third with a fifth consecutive Premier League victory.

Newcastle assistant Jason Tindall and coach Graeme Jones were in charge once again while head coach Eddie Howe continues to recover from pneumonia, with the pair overseeing nine goals in the last two games to close the gap on second-placed Arsenal to four points.

The hosts were rampant from the beginning as Isak wasted two good chances before the in-form Jacob Murphy fired a rocket from an improbable angle that crashed into the roof of the net at Henderson’s near post in the 14th minute.

Newcastle were in control until Nick Pope came a long way off his line to punch a cross, missing the ball and collided with Palace defender Chris Richards. The referee was sent to the pitchside monitor to award a penalty, but Pope made up for his error by saving Eze’s casual spot kick.

Eze was punished for his miss just 98 seconds later when Palace captain Marc Guehi inadvertently turned Barnes’ cross into his own net.

Palace’s misery in the first half was far from over as Barnes continued his fine form by finishing brilliantly with his left foot at the end of a counter-attack in added time before Fabian Schar headed in a fourth from Murphy’s cross.

Isak could have had at least a hat-trick, denied again early in the second half by Henderson, but finally beat the Palace goalkeeper with a superb curling shot that nestled in the bottom right corner to cap a faultless evening on Tyneside.

Murphy on wondergoal: I meant it!

Newcastle winger Jacob Murphy told Sky Sports:

“I did mean it! When the juices are flowing, you’ve just got to hit it. The defender has come out so it was going to be hard to get it through, so I thought I’d just shoot.

“We knew the first goal was going to be really important. I’m happy to get it and that we started off so well.”

Tindall: Nine goals in two games? I wouldn’t have believed you!

Newcastle assistant Jason Tindall told Sky Sports:

“We spoke pre-game about keeping the intensity and the attitude we showed against Man Utd and we wanted to deliver a similar performance. I felt they did that, if not bettered that.

“We need to make sure we remain focused and level-headed. We’ve got a tough game now against Aston Villa, who are in great form and have only lost one game at home all season. We know it’s going to be a really difficult performance.”

On nine goals in two games: “It’s good, if you had said that a week ago, then I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Full credit to the lads for delivering the two performances they have, but don’t stop there. We have six cup finals remaining. We have to be consistent and deliver the right performances to get us into the Champions League.”

Glasner: Newcastle were too good in every area

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner told Sky Sports:

“They were too good in every part of the game, this is what we have to accept today. They were too quick, so direct, punished us with our mistakes and took the momentum. It’s a disappointing night but it’s not one to analyse too much. Sometimes you have games and it’s better to throw them into the bin, and this is what we will do.”

On Eze’s penalty: “Ebs and JP (Mateta) are the two penalty takers and they decide on the pitch. Ebs had the ball and takes many penalties after training. He scores many goals from these situations and we trust him completely.

“Today, it didn’t work. It was a game where nothing worked. Instead of 1-1, it’s 2-0 from a deflected ball. We were not good enough to be a competitive opposition for Newcastle.”