Newcastle climb to second after Almirón and Joelinton sink Leicester
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Not even the World Cup has proved a deterrent in Newcastle United’s pursuit of Champions League football as Eddie Howe’s team climbed into second place in the Premier League with a victory secured in just over half an hour.
Early goals from Chris Wood, from the penalty spot, Miguel Almirón and Joelinton brought Newcastle a 10th win in 11 games in all competitions against one of the division’s supposed in-form teams, for whom the six-week international break in Qatar proved a block rather than a spur. On this evidence, Newcastle should relish hosting these opponents again in a fortnight in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
Leicester will plan to be more resolute in the transfer market next month as James Maddison, their playmaker who missed this game with a knee injury, is meant to be back on Newcastle’s radar. Despite their renascent form before the break, they are just four points above the relegation zone as they head to Liverpool on Friday.
Leicester’s form going into the World Cup had actually been as brilliant as Newcastle’s; they had also averaged two points a game since they were bottom with one point from their first eight games. But it was Howe’s team who picked up where they had left off as they went 2-0 up inside seven minutes.
Euphoric chants of “We’re going to win the league” rang out from the black and white corner of the King Power Stadium as Newcastle responded to the disappointment of losing Callum Wilson to illness by seeing his replacement Wood fire them into the lead after Daniel Amartey tripped Joelinton in the area after just 85 seconds.
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The former Leicester striker kept his nerve to smack his penalty straight down the middle – none of this waiting to see where the goalkeeper is going – for his third goal of the season. The centre of defence is one area here Brendan Rodgers is keen to replenish Leicester’s squad come the opening of the transfer window but they were too easily opened up throughout the first half.
Luke Thomas was too accommodating as Almirón received a long pass out wide and cut back inside onto his favoured left foot. Any casual football observer has seen how the Paraguayan has been flourishing in this fashion this season. After Almirón laid the ball off for Bruno Guimarães and ran on for the return pass, it was no surprise to see him open up his body and side-foot home left-footed for his ninth goal of the season, equalling his tally for the previous four campaigns.
Chris Wood opens the scoring for Newcastle from the penalty spot. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/Getty Images
To add injury to insult, Leicester lost Daniel Praet, Maddison’s deputy, in the 17th minute, former Newcastle forward Ayoze Pérez coming on. Leicester played their way back into the game in the middle third of the pitch, and Patson Daka was unlucky not to pull a goal back when he nicked the ball past Nick Pope but fell as the ball rebounded off him but not over the line, Sven Botman sliding in to clear the ball.
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Newcastle went 3-0 up in the 32nd minute for the first time in an away game in the Premier League in 15 years when Joelinton rose above Boubakary Soumaré to head home Kieran Trippier’s corner. Rodgers, missing Jonny Evans because of a calf injury but evidently still not trusting Jannik Vestergaard nor, any longer, Caglar Soyuncu, will have underlined in his notebook that need for a new centre-half.
Wood could have made the half-time scoreline even more embarrassing but he lofted Joe Willock’s pullback onto the top of the net just before the break. It was no surprise when Jamie Vardy was summoned from the substitutes’ bench for the second half as Leicester sought a way back into the game.
Rodgers made some tactical gains as he paired Vardy and Harvey Barnes up front, with Pérez just in behind, and was able to make some inroads in behind Dan Burn down Newcastle’s left. But the nearest they came to getting a goal back came when Botman’s clearance ricocheted off Burn for a corner.