Newcastle United breaks rips down the ceiling in 4-1 win vs. Everton
By Cade Cracas
Newcastle United has become a powerhouse club in the Premier League, and outside of Arsenal and both Manchester sides, no other team stands close.
After exploding against Tottenham Spurs in a 6-1 win, the Magpies only built off that momentum as they quickly dominated Everton, 4-1 in regulation.
Newcastle United is undefeated against bottom-half squads this season and has done so with few questions asked. After their win, the team sits at an overall record of 17-11-4, with 62 total league points.
Against Everton, they were on the press from the blow of the opening whistle.
Newcastle had multiple opportunities to find the opening goal with their impressive attack, with the team finding the separating shot in the 28th minute. Forward Callum Wilson scored from just six yards out after Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford deflected a shot taken by midfielder Joelinton. That deflected shot fell kindly to Wilson, who blasted it into the back netting.
Now with opening momentum, the Magpies just continued to play aggressively, something the team has stressed in recent weeks.
Everton had just one opportunity in the first half in hopes of finding an equalizer, but an offsides call would plague the team from bringing the game level.
Heading into halftime, the game was just a one-goal differential, keeping the window open for both sides.
In the second half, both teams started off slow and found little connection as the ball rarely left the midfield. However, Everton could only hold the pressure of Newcastle for so long, and towards the end of the second half, the Blues started to crumble.
In the 72nd minute, a beautiful cross was sent into Joelinton who was denied earlier, but this time a header fell briskly into the back of the net, giving the Magpies their second goal of the contest.
Now with a 2-0 lead, Everton needed to bounce back and find a goal to keep their hopes alive, but Newcastle pieced together play after play and found another.
Everton continued to lose their footing in the midfield, and right after the 72nd-minute goal, the Magpies found another in the 75th minute. Newcastle was able to find space outside of the 18, with the previous goal-scorer, Wilson, having a shot on goal. This one gave no chance to Pickford to save to give the team a 3-0 lead.
With the game practically over, Newcastle became loose defensively and let Dwight McNeil score off a corner kick, with the ball being untouched.
Just one minute later, the Magpies put any glimpse of hope away at Goodison Park with forward Alexander Isak looking like prime Pele with his skills down the sideline.
Isak weaved his way past defenders and the 6-foot-4 forward sent a perfect ball across to winger Jacob Murphy who smashed the ball into the back netting. While Murphy was the one to find the goal, Isak received praise for his phenomenal movement and ball control.
This loss for Everton is their largest against Newcastle since Boxing Day of 1933, where they fell 7-3.
“First half was not perfect but the second half was very good, we scored some very good goals,” Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe told BBC.
The Magpies, with pure confidence, now waltz back to St. James Park with a two-game win streak underneath their belts, and a contest against Southampton coming up next.
Southampton has struggled this season, with an overall record of 6-6-21, at the bottom of the Premier League table.
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