Newcastle produced a devastating second-half display to record a seventh victory in eight matches and increase Everton’s relegation fears with a 4-1 win at Goodison Park.
Callum Wilson continued his rich vein of form with two goals to suck the life out of the hosts while Joelinton and Jacob Murphy – both influential in Sunday’s 6-1 thrashing of Tottenham – added to their own personal tallies on another bleak night for the Blues.
Eddie Howe’s side weathered the expected storm for 28 minutes before scoring with their first real attack. Joelinton broke down the left and his cross-shot was parried by Jordan Pickford to Wilson, who scored his seventh goal in six matches against Everton.
Everton thought they had equalised on the stroke of half-time when Dominic Calvert-Lewin latched onto Dwight McNeil’s pass but his lofted finish over Nick Pope was ruled out by VAR for offside.
Dwight McNeil’s strike direct for a corner had given Everton a flicker of hope at 3-1, but within 22 seconds of the restart, Murphy was on hand for a simple finish after a mesmerising solo run from Alexander Isak.
The result moves Newcastle onto 62 points in third, a healthy eight points ahead of fifth-placed Aston Villa with a game in hand. Meanwhile, Everton stay in 19th position with five games remaining – two points adrift of safety – following a ninth home defeat of the season.