Who can stop Newcastle United right now? Since winning the Carabao Cup, their first domestic trophy in 70 years, a month ago they have extended their winning run in the league to five matches and are now four points behind second-placed Arsenal in the Premier League. Crystal Palace were simply overwhelmed at St James’ Park on Wednesday.
With head coach Eddie Howe again missing as he recovers from pneumonia, his team did him proud, as they had in beating visitors Manchester United 4-1 on Sunday.
Newcastle flew out of the blocks and had squandered chances before Jacob Murphy hammered them in front in the 14th minute when he beat Dean Henderson at his near post from what appeared an impossibly tight angle.
Eberechi Eze missed a glorious opportunity to restore parity from the spot in the 37th minute after Nick Pope was adjudged to have fouled Chris Richards. Pope redeemed himself by standing tall and diving to his left to keep out the tamest of penalties.
A minute later, Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, a long-term transfer target of Newcastle, put through his own goal and the game was good as over when Harvey Barnes added a third in the second minute of added time before the break. It certainly was when Fabian Schar then headed in Murphy’s free kick before the half-time whistle.
Alexander Isak made it 5-0 with a fine finish from the edge of the box for his 25th goal of the season just before the hour.
The Athletic’s Chris Waugh and George Caulkin analyse the talking points from as Newcastle close in on a Champions League place.
Murphy’s stunning goal was a shot, right?
In Newcastle’s 2-1 home victory over Brentford two weeks ago, Sandro Tonali smashed in a goal from a tight angle on the right and afterwards admitted it was 70 per cent cross, 30 per cent shot. But when Murphy did the same against Palace tonight the mathematics were slightly different.
Take one right winger, subtract a lot of doubters, add some hard work, multiply with self-belief and bung in a ton of momentum, all of which equals a very fine footballer enjoying the season of his life.
Murphy’s goal here was from closer in than Tonali’s but it was no less audacious and just as thunderous and it got Newcastle going after a positive start from them which featured unconverted chances. He also made his team’s fourth, crossing for Schar to head beyond Henderson.
Murphy fires Newcastle in front
pic.twitter.com/yT4E9sT6Dx
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 16, 2025
And for U.S. readers
Jacob Murphy blasts it in at the near post for Newcastle, what a strike!
USA Network | #NEWCRY pic.twitter.com/97D893KMin
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 16, 2025
His eight-year career on Tyneside may have been the slowest of slow burns, but it has recently become a furnace; in his past 18 Premier League appearances, Murphy has been directly involved in 17 goals, scoring eight and providing nine assists.
It is not a coincidence or a flash in the pan. It is effort, talent and perseverance… and it is 100 per cent England-squad form.
George Caulkin
How decisive was 98 seconds of madness?
Newcastle may have racked up the goals in the end, but this match was decided inside 98 mad first-half seconds, between Eze’s woeful penalty miss and the home side doubling their advantage.
Following a ludicrous almost-five-minute VAR check, Palace were awarded a spot kick once referee Darren England eventually determined Pope had recklessly caught Richards after rushing off his line and looking to punch the ball clear. Pope did catch the American, but it took several slow-motion replays by the side of the pitch for England to belatedly decide the Newcastle goalkeeper had not touched the ball beforehand.
PENALTY SAVED
Pope outsmarts Eze
pic.twitter.com/Ipr5UkeyyS
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 16, 2025
And for U.S. readers
WHAT A SEQUENCE.
Nick Pope saves a penalty, then Newcastle grab a goal moments later to double their lead! pic.twitter.com/b4Nzxeo4et
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 16, 2025
With Newcastle leading by a solitary goal, Eze had a magnificent opportunity to level things up. But gamesmanship, bordering upon s***housing, from the home side may well have contributed to putting the midfielder off in the 37th minute. Kieran Trippier twice gestured to the crowd to jeer, and they responded by whistling and booing, while Tonali tried to block striker Jean-Philippe Mateta on the edge of the box.
Only Eze will know if that muddied his method but, after a stuttering run-up, he stopped, took a step, then essentially passed the ball just to Pope’s left, who had stayed on his feet and was then relieved to pick the ball up.
Barely a minute and a half later, the game was essentially over, too, as Newcastle launched a breathless attack down the left, Tino Livramento sent Barnes into the box, and the winger tried to cut a low pass across to Isak. The ball squirmed under a sliding Guehi, whose trailing arm then deflected it to Henderson’s right and into the net.
Newcastle are a momentum-based side and, rather than seize the initiative from the home team by converting from the spot, Eze only fuelled them and, from that moment on, it felt like a case of, “How many?”
Chris Waugh
Forget the Champions League, is a second-place finish on?
After that historic victory at Wembley last month, justifiable doubts were aired: would this Newcastle side really look to push on and secure Champions League qualification, or would they settle for cup glory and just allow their top-flight form to taper off into the summer?
It has proven to be very much the former, with even Howe’s now two-game absence — with his long-time assistant Jason Tindall in charge — failing to derail Newcastle.
Instead, it is now six successive wins in all competitions, four of which have been since the final, and all with the same starting XI. Joelinton, despite being on nine bookings for the past five league games, has even managed to avoid a two-match ban during that run, underlining how, on the field at least, everything is going Newcastle’s way.
With only six matches remaining, and having used their games in hand to their advantage, Newcastle are now firm favourites to return to Europe’s premier competition next season. Chelsea and Aston Villa, in sixth and seventh respectively, are five points behind Newcastle, and fifth place will be enough this season to guarantee Champions League football in 2025-26.
Rather than worry so much about what is behind them, they may now even look to chase down second-placed Arsenal, who are only four points ahead — and who Newcastle must still face at the Emirates Stadium in a month’s time.
“Geordie boys, taking the p**s,” was one of the second-half chants from a jubilant St James’ Park crowd, and this already memorable season is on course to become the most successful in the club’s modern history.
What did Tindall say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What’s next for Newcastle?
Saturday, April 19: Aston Villa (Away), Premier League, 5.30pm UK, 12.30pm ET
(Top photo: Murphy celebrates the opening goal. Stu Forster/Getty Images)
