When Eddie Howe fell ill last week and it became clear Newcastle’s manager could be absent for some time, the team’s captain, Bruno Guimarães, convened an emergency meeting of senior players.
According to Guimarães, everyone resolved to “keep our standards as high as ever” and subsequent actions have shown they really meant it.
This demolition of Crystal Palace – the description shock and awe does not really do it justice – lifted Newcastle to third, leaving them four points behind Arsenal who are in second place.
With, among others, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, and the once again outstanding Sandro Tonali in this sort of irrepressible form, Champions League qualification looks a formality for a side that has now won six consecutive matches.
What Newcastle’s rivals would give to have the imperious Tonali dictating central midfield and Murphy ripping full backs to shreds.
As Howe spent a sixth night in hospital recovering from pneumonia, Jason Tindall once again pulled on Newcastle’s managerial tracksuit.
“A really good team performance,” said Tindall, who revealed he had received a congratulatory text message from Howe but had “no update” on the manager’s condition. “We spoke pre-game about being really aggressive and on the front foot and we executed that brilliantly.”
With Tonali reading the play impeccably, Palace were second‑guessed at every turn and swiftly wore the bewildered expression of a team that had conceded 10 goals in five days.
So much for the visiting manager Oliver Glasner’s pre-match comment that his club “are in one of the best situations in our history now”.
That may still be broadly true but the ghosts of past relegation struggles returned to haunt Palace here and only a piece of goalkeeping excellence from Dean Henderson came between Alexander Isak and an early goal after Murphy accelerated down the right and cut back for the Sweden striker.
Henderson, though, had no answer to the power of the awkwardly angled cross shot that subsequently whizzed past him at his near post to give Newcastle the lead. Given his electric impact on proceedings it was appropriate that Murphy scored it.
When Kieran Trippier cued up the winger near the right corner flag, everyone expected Murphy to cross or cut back but, instead, he whipped a high-velocity shot into the top corner. Maybe it is his way of answering back after reading the incessant stream of reports insisting that Howe’s summer transfer market priority is a new “upgraded” right‑winger. On this evidence any replacement will need to be red hot. In his past 18 games, Murphy has clocked up eight goals and nine assists.
Newcastle spent much of last summer trying, and failing, to sign Marc Guéhi from Palace. Here Glasner’s captain and key central defender endured a night to forget, shaking his head as Murphy’s goal deceived him.
How Guéhi could have done with Eberechi Eze equalising from the penalty spot. That kick was awarded – following a lengthy VAR review – when Nick Pope rather carelessly caught Chris Richards as they challenged for a Palace free‑kick.
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Eze’s run‑up was big on fancy footwork but ultimately the England winger ran out of steam tapping tamely straight to Pope who held his ground throughout the intricate preamble.
Newcastle swiftly made the most of that reprieve as Barnes demonstrated that Murphy is not the only Newcastle winger in form. First he directed a cross towards Isak and watched in satisfaction as the ball deflected off Guéhi and looped over Henderson.
Having warmed up, Barnes then collected Tonali’s pass, removed Maxence Lacroix from Glasner’s defensive equation courtesy of a smart stepover and, rather than cut in on his right foot, lashed an angled left-foot shot into the bottom corner.
Fabian Schär headed in Newcastle’s fourth after Trippier tapped a free‑kick to Murphy whose expertly curved cross created yet another goal. What price impending England call‑ups for Murphy and Barnes?
Isak had been having a bit of an off night by his lofty standards, missing a few chances, but he curled a superlative fifth -– Newcastle’s ninth goal in two games -– past Henderson from 20 yards. The blur of perfectly synchronised movement as the Swede shot first time after seizing on the fall out from Joelinton’s tackle on Lacroix emphasised precisely why he is valued at £150m.
Glasner had no complaints. “Credit to a very, very good Newcastle side,” he said. “We couldn’t compete with them. We couldn’t deal with their intensity, directness and pace. Nothing worked; we just have to throw this one in the bin.”
