Everton 1-4 Newcastle: Wilson brace and Isak wizardry sends Toon one step closer
An emphatic end to a potentially nervy night as Newcastle United sealed a humungous 4-1 win over Everton; sending us nine clear of Liverpool, eight ahead of Spurs, back above Man Utd and in pole position to seal a top-four finish.
We didn't have it all our own way and started slowly, but quality finishing and cool heads proved key in the end, as a Callum Wilson brace, Joelinton header and Jacob Murphy tap-in - created by more Alexander Isak magic - made it look easy in the end.
These lads dug in, went through the gears when they needed to and delivered another masterclass in finishing. There were fireworks at kick-off from Everton fans and a fire drill by the end, as our flurry of second-half goals left home fans heading for the exits early. 10 goals in two games and 23 in our last eight; not bad for 'time-wasters' who don't want to keep the ball in play!
Howe made three changes. Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron and Matt Targett all came in, replacing Alexander Isak, Jacob Murphy and Dan Burn, while Fabian Schar passed a late fitness test after limping off against Spurs.
Few changes were expected after the 6-1 battering, yet the boss opted for fresh legs. Perhaps he was wary of our intensity levels waning - as they did in our last away game at Villa - and also had one eye on Sunday's clash with Southampton.
Nevertheless, it was Everton who started the much better side. They were pressing from the off and responding well to the hostile atmosphere inside Goodison Park. We looked way off it, as the opening stages were littered with cheap giveaways, loose touches and careless passes that the home side thankfully failed to punish.
However, just before the half-hour mark, it was Eddie's Mags that broke the deadlock, as Jordan Pickford parried Joelinton's powerful effort straight to Callum Wilson. Our No 9 reacted first and poked home, giving us a lead against the run of play and his fifth goal in his last six games.
This calmed what had been a frenetic game, giving us a foothold in a game that we were struggling to get a grip of, yet Everton came within a whisker of going into the break at 1-1, as Calvert-Lewin's dinked finish was chalked off for offside. It was tight, but a welcome boost to get a VAR decision work in our favour on Merseyside!
We started the second half strongly and almost made it 2-0 just seconds after the restart, as Joe Willock's goal-bound effort inside the box was blocked just as it looked destined for the far corner.
Everton got Targett in the book after Iwobi left the former Villa man for dead and Pope made a solid stop to deny Calvert-Lewin, but the biggest talking point came at the other end as Sean Longstaff was wiped out by Tarkowski in the box. The ball had gone and it was a clear foul. The result after VAR checks? No penalty. Absolutely scandalous, yet completely unsurprising, sadly.
Almiron was hooked after a few too many cheap giveaways and a booked Targett was also taken off, seeing Jacob Murphy and Dan Burn come on for the final 25 minutes. A huge effort was needed to see this one out and a second was denied with one of the saves of the season, as an incredible effort from Willock was tipped around the post by Pickford.
Moments later, the breathing space we so desperately wanted arrived thanks to some more Willock brilliance. He darted down the left, got to the byline and hung up an inviting cross that Joelinton powered home. Magical celebrations followed as the Brazilian roared at the travelling Toon Army and the game was won - but we weren't done there.
Next up, a simply stunning finish from Wilson, who curled a 20-yard effort beyond Pickford's little arms and into the top corner. The Toffees pulled one back, as McNeil somehow scored directly from a corner to ruin Pope's clean sheet, but 3-1 soon became four thanks to a moment of sheer wizardry from Alexander Isak.
He hadn't long replaced Sean Longstaff, but danced past three of four Blue shirts down the byline and dinked over Pickford to give Murphy a back post tap-in. I thought we'd seen the assist of the season from Willock last weekend, but this was just ridiculous. Watch the utterly mesmerising moment below.
Gordon came on to a chorus of boos alongside Elliot Anderson and we thought it was five minutes later, as Fabian Schar curled a stunner past Pickford. Another quality strike, but one that was ruled out by VAR as Burn was shown to be offside in the build up.
A fifth should have arrived in stoppage time after more lovely work from Isak and Bruno, only for Murphy to blaze over. Not that it mattered. Empty seats everywhere and an away end in glorious voice, as we sealed a 4-1 win.
What's more, results elsewhere have also gone our way. Not only did Brighton lose last night, Spurs' 2-2 draw against Man Utd feels like the perfect result, keeping us well clear of the former and ahead of the latter.
We have now scored as many Premier League goals in the last five days as we did in November, December and January combined last season. Just as some wondered if we'd wilt under the pressure, it feels like we're only getting better.
Next up, Southampton at home on Sunday and another chance to take a step closer to a top-four finish!
STARTING 11: Pope – Trippier, Schar, Botman, Targett – Longstaff, Bruno, Willock – Almiron, Wilson, Joelinton.
SUBS: Dubravka, Lascelles, Gordon, Ritchie, Isak, Manquillo, Murphy, Anderson, Burn.
