Newcastle United vs Southampton. Premier League.
St James' Park, NewcastleAttendance52,234.
Report and free match highlights as Stuart Armstrong gives Southampton shock lead in the first half; Callum Wilson brought on at half-time and scores twice either side of a Theo Walcott own goal; Wilson denied hat-trick by woodwork in injury time; Southampton six points adrift of safety
Sunday 30 April 2023 18:57, UK
Callum Wilson came off the bench to score twice in a second-half fightback and lead Newcastle to a 3-1 win over rock-bottom Southampton.
The Premier League strugglers took a shock lead late in the first half when Stuart Armstrong turned home from close range after the hosts had seen Anthony Gordon hit a post.
Gordon was substituted at half-time for Wilson, who equalised just nine minutes later before seeing a second chalked off by the VAR for offside.
But Newcastle were not to be denied for long as Theo Walcott turned the ball into his own net at a corner and then Wilson added a third 60 seconds later to strengthen their place in the top four and leave Southampton six points adrift of safety.
Southampton started brightly with Kyle Walker-Peters forcing Nick Pope into a save within 60 seconds, although Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes both went close for the hosts.
Newcastle did not have a shot on target in the first half, though, as Gordon missed their best opportunity. Played through by Alexander Isak, the winger shot low past Alex McCarthy and hit the left post.
Southampton kept the Magpies at bay before taking their moment on a counter-attack. Romeo Lavia won the ball off Guimaraes in midfield to set Carlos Alcaraz away, shifting the ball wide to Kamaldeen Sulemana and he squared for Armstrong, who nipped in front of Kieran Trippier, to turn home from inside the six-yard box.
Eddie Howe brought on Wilson at half-time for Gordon and he made an instant impact. Sven Botman was denied by McCarthy from just yards out, but a minute later Isak pulled the ball across from the left and Wilson side-footed home.
Newcastle dominated the second half with Joe Willock seeing a low shot saved and Wilson's header tipped over. The striker thought he had given the hosts the lead when he poked in, but a lengthy check from the VAR found he was in an offside position after the ball had ricocheted off Miguel Almiron.
Just five minutes later, though, a Trippier corner was headed on by Botman and rebounded off Walcott into his own net. Wilson then wrapped up the points seconds later by rounding McCarthy and tapping in.
There was still time for Wilson to be denied a hat-trick when his effort crashed against the top of the crossbar and landed back down on it.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe: "It was a disappointing first half for us. Southampton played well, defended well, we couldn't break them down and get that first goal we needed.
"But a great response second half. It was a key moment for us, 1-0 down, and the players did exceptionally well in that second period.
"We played with real control. We didn't get desperate in our attempts to score. We stayed patient but made good decisions and got rewarded for that.
"We're in a good place because we're winning and we're confident, and the players believe in our abilities to win football matches. We play Arsenal next and look forward to that challenge but take nothing for granted."
On Callum Wilson: "He took his goals brilliantly. His all-round performance was superb. He had a galvanising effect on the group, on the crowd. Alex (Isak) moved to the left and did really well. It was a really good second half and capped off with Callum's goal.
On Anthony Gordon being substituted at half-time: "It was no reflection on his performance, I thought Anthony did really well. He could have scored and had probably our best moments of the half but I felt I needed to get Callum on the pitch. Someone had to be sacrificed and it was him."
Southampton manager Ruben Selles: "We started the game well. We knew what to do to get a good performance and three points here.
"We wanted to have a little bit more possession in the first half but we were fine in the moments and in the transactions we were where we wanted to be.
"In the second half, the game changed a little bit. They brought a tactical variation with Isak on the left-hand side. We tried to compensate that but we really didn't find ourselves during the second half.
"I have been very clear from the beginning, we will stand here until the end and fight for it. Hopefully, we can do it for 90 to 95 minutes in the next game. Today, we really dropped our level in the second half."
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Newcastle host title-chasing Arsenal on Sunday, live on Sky Sports from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm.
Southampton face relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Monday, live on Sky Sports from 7pm; kick-off 8pm.
May 7: Arsenal (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
May 13: Leeds (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 18: Brighton (H) - Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm
May 22: Leicester (H) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm
May 28: Chelsea (A) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
May 8: Nottingham Forest (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 13: Fulham (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 21: Brighton (A) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm
May 28: Liverpool (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
