IS this the way to Barcelona? Not quite yet. But as Newcastle United’s jubilant supporters sung about the Champions League at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium last night, so a return to Europe’s premier competition moved another major step closer.
Newcastle’s thrashing of a hapless Foxes side lifted them back into the Champions League places and moved them level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea, with a game in hand. Win that, which comes against Crystal Palace next Wednesday, and they would be just a point behind third-placed Nottingham Forest.
Admittedly, they won’t get much easier tasks than the one they accomplished at a canter yesterday, with Leicester’s complete lack of fight explaining why they are returning to the Championship at the first time of asking following last season’s promotion.
Jacob Murphy effectively settled the game with two goals in the opening 11 minutes, the second of which came after Fabian Schar had shot against the crossbar from ten yards inside his own half. Harvey Barnes added a third goal before the break, and Eddie Howe was afforded the luxury of being able to rest some of his key players ahead of Sunday’s home game with Manchester United, with Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Alexander Isak and Murphy all making way in the second half. By then, the job was well and truly done.
Murphy could certainly be content with his evening’s work when he headed off with 16 minutes remaining. The 30-year-old is having the season of his life, but even he cannot have envisaged scoring two goals within the opening quarter-of-an-hour as Newcastle ruthlessly exploited Leicester’s multiple limitations.
His second-minute opener came at the end of a passing move that carved the Foxes apart with remarkably little resistance. Harvey Barnes, returning to his former home, released Tino Livramento on the overlap, the stand-in left-back slid a low cross across the face of goal, and an unmarked Murphy tapped in at the back post.
That was the winger’s seventh goal of the season, but if it was somewhat routine, the eighth that followed nine minutes later was anything but.
Schar’s shooting skills have been well advertised during the Swiss centre-half’s seven seasons on Tyneside, but even so, few would have expected him to try his luck when he dispossessed Jamie Vardy ten yards inside his own half.
Schar had spotted Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen off his line though, and his floated effort came within an inch or two of delivering the Goal of the Season. Instead, the ball rebounded off the crossbar, and with Leicester’s defenders standing motionless, Murphy followed up to slam home the rebound.
Even at that stage, it was simply a question of how many more goals Newcastle would score, with Leicester’s fans jeering their own players as their inevitable exit from the Premier League drew ever closer.
Every time the Magpies attacked it felt as if they were capable of finding the net, and a third goal duly arrived 11 minutes before the interval.
Isak’s initial shot was blocked, and while Joelinton’s follow-up effort was saved by Hermansen, Barnes reacted quickest to fire home. The winger refused to celebrate against his former club, and was even cheered by a significant section of the home support.
Leicester were wretched, and even when they produced their best moment of the game four minutes before the break, their luck was out. Patson Daka’s low shot from outside the box beat Nick Pope, but the ball cannoned off the inside of both posts before rebounding into the grateful goalkeeper’s arms.
The second half was something of a non-event, with Newcastle’s players content to see the match out and Leicester’s incapable of making a game of things even though they saw more of the ball than they had before the break.
The home side brought on 15-year-old Jeremy Monga in the closing stages – the substitute became the second-youngest player in Premier League history – but Newcastle were able to close out their win without any scares.
