Newcastle stormed to a commanding 4-0 victory over Leicester City at St. James’ Park, snapping a four-game winless streak in emphatic fashion. A brace from Jacob Murphy and goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak handed Ruud van Nistelrooy his first defeat as Leicester’s manager and delivered a much-needed boost to Eddie Howe’s side.
The Magpies, who had been struggling for form, came out with renewed energy and intent. Jacob Murphy opened the scoring on 30 minutes, making amends for an earlier miss when he had curled an effort wide from inside the box. This time, he coolly slotted home Anthony Gordon’s clever drag-back from the edge of the area, igniting Newcastle’s dominance.
Leicester suffered a blow at halftime when goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who had made a superb save early on to deny Gordon, was replaced by Danny Ward. Unfortunately for the Foxes, Ward’s introduction marked the beginning of a nightmare second half.
Within just five minutes of the restart, Newcastle doubled their lead when Guimaraes fired past Ward, capitalizing on relentless pressure. Moments later, Isak added a third, pouncing on a defensive lapse to score Newcastle’s second in as many minutes. The floodgates were wide open, and Leicester had no answer to Newcastle’s relentless attack.
Murphy completed the rout with his second goal, a powerful finish from the edge of the area after being expertly set up by Isak. The hosts could have scored more, with Gordon continuing to terrorize Leicester’s defense with his speed and creativity. His relentless pressing and precise link-up play were the driving forces behind Newcastle’s fluid attacking performance, earning him a standout role in the victory.
The win propels Newcastle into 11th place, level on points with Brentford and within four points of the top four. For Leicester, the defeat leaves them teetering just four points above the relegation zone, adding pressure to van Nistelrooy’s early tenure.
Eddie Howe will hope this dominant display marks a turning point for Newcastle, as they look to build on Gordon’s inspirational performance and regain their momentum in the race for European places.
