Everton vs Newcastle United. Premier League.
Goodison ParkAttendance39,248.
Report and free match highlights as Everton are dragged deeper into relegation trouble with a convincing 4-1 home loss to Champions League-chasing Newcastle; Goals from Callum Wilson (2), Joelinton and Jacob Murphy inflict pain on Sean Dyche's men; Dwight McNeil with consolation for hosts
Friday 28 April 2023 06:21, UK
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.
The hosts 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.
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.
When asked if Newcastle's top-four place was now wrapped up, Eddie Howe said: "I think it is just a case of onto the next game. The end table will tell us where we are and what we have next season but for now we are just focusing on the next game. We have returned to form in a really good way."
Everton are looking to extend their 69-year spell in England's top division but the club are facing the real crisis of a first relegation since 1951.
They started brightly as Idrissa Gueye had two early shots from distance well watched by Pope, while Alex Iwobi curled another effort off target.
But Newcastle absorbed the early pressure and pounced in clinical fashion. Joelinton was sent on a powerful, driving run down the left before the Brazilian skipped inside Ben Godfrey and shot at Pickford.
The England goalkeeper's parry ricocheted off James Tarkowski and fell kindly for Wilson to get to the rebound in front of Vitalii Mykolenko for a lifted finish.
The hosts dusted themselves and continue to carry the fight to Newcastle. Calvert-Lewin, making only his 10th start of the campaign, was denied an equaliser by the linesman's flag. As Goodison held its breath and the VAR lines were drawn, replays concluded that the striker's shoulder was inches in front of Sven Botman.
Everton entered the second half knowing they had won just one of 18 Premier League games this term having conceded first, and they very nearly conceded a second within a minute of the restart as Joelinton fed Joe Willock down the left channel and his shot was cleared superbly off the line by Tarkowski.
Calvert-Lewin resumed his battle with Pope as his fierce shot across goal from Iwobi's pass was batted away by the Newcastle goalkeeper. The visitors then felt they had claims for a penalty when Tarkowski caught Sean Longstaff after the ball had been played on the byline, but Everton's reprieve was short-lived as the visitors soon doubled their lead.
Willock had already forced a superb save from Pickford having teed himself up for a dipping volley on the edge of the box when the resurgent midfielder skipped past Godfrey down the left to present Joelinton with a simple downward header into the far corner.
Two minutes and 23 seconds later, Newcastle were celebrating a third as Everton's brittle confidence was sapped. Bruno Guimaraes drove forward unopposed, and with the freedom of Goodison Park, he set up Wilson for a fine finish high into the net beyond Pickford.
Everton by now were beaten but needed to show character. McNeil reduced the deficit in almost comical fashion as his corner-kick missed Doucoure at the near post but the attempt surprised Pope as the ball found the net.
But, such has been Everton's wretched season, they immediately sabotaged any hope of a late fightback as Isak led Godfrey, Gueye and Michael Keane on a merry dance along the byline before picking out Murphy on the goal line for Newcastle's fourth.
"I couldn't really see what was happening!" Howe said on Isak's quick feet. "I have seen it back on the telly and the amount of turns and twists and stepovers he did, an incredible piece of skill. He has incredible ball manipulation."
Fabian Schar thought he had scored a brilliant fifth in stoppage time but his long-range effort was cruelly ruled out for offside against Dan Burn in the build-up, while Murphy spurned another chance at the death. It was sufficient punishment. Many among the home crowd had long since departed having seen enough.
Everton boss Sean Dyche told BT Sport:
"We took the game on and I thought in the first half we had been as strong as we have been. We went under too easily after the second goal. You can't against good sides like Newcastle.
"I thought it was a very strong first-half performance. We kept them to not many chances but they are a good outfit and they kept going and got a second goal and the reaction to that was not good enough.
"We are not finding the big moments in the final third. It is still a work in progress. Wilson whacks one in the corner, no thought, they are just playing with freedom and we need to find that freedom.
"We have to park this one quickly and clear our minds going into the next one."
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe:
"We know nothing is taken for granted from our perspective. It puts us in a lot stronger position. To get six points from Tottenham and Everton is a great return.
"We knew there would be an aerial challenge for us and I felt we dealt with that very well. In the second-half, we really put our foot to the floor and showed what we are capable of.
"It is great to see. Callum [Wilson] was excellent today. The second goal was spectacular. It was great for Alex [Isak] to come on and do well as well.
"It was always going to be a difficult game for us but we handled the occasion well in a hostile environment.
"The first goal was going to be crucial. It was probably our best move and it came at a good time for us.
"The confidence was there and it was evident in the second half, maybe a bit of the edge of the game had gone but I think we had to earn the right to get to that point because Everton put us under pressure in the first half."
Sky Sports' Ben Grounds:
It is hard to see where Everton go from here. Six of their starting XI have experienced relegation before, but not this club in 72 years. That could be about to change.
Newcastle made their task of escaping the drop all the more difficult. By full-time, there were vast swathes of blue seats vacated by demoralised souls.
It has not been this perilous since the last time the club were relegated in 1951. On Thursday, they started a matchday in the bottom two having played at least 32 league games for the first time since April of that year.
It is a time for togetherness and for the team to be galvanised, as it was 12 months ago, when these supporters dragged their side over the line. Ticker tape and flares went up outside the ground as the team bus arrived at 6pm to a cacophony of sound and fury. A sea of blue from the top of Spellow Lane by the Park End and down Goodison Road.
Hanging from above the famous Hot Wot were draped two banners; one charting the nine league titles, five FA Cup and a Cup Winners' Cup. Nil Satis Nisi Optimium and perhaps the modern take on that Latin phrase on the second: Everton The Gear. But Newcastle came, fronted up and disrobed their inferior opponents.
Two Geordie supporters filmed tumbling down a hill as they caught their coach to Merseyside went viral during the day, but it has been a far smoother journey for Eddie Howe's side throughout this campaign.
Monday's trip to Leicester, immediately above Everton in 18th, now becomes a must-win game as with Manchester City one of their two remaining home fixtures, Sean Dyche's side cannot rely on the power of Goodison to get them over the line to extend a 69-year stay in the top flight.
But Newcastle, having experienced their own period in the doldrums of the Championship, have no such worries as an appearance in Europe's elite competition proper for the first time since 2003 edges ever closer having scored 10 goals in their last two matches.
Sky Sports News' Keith Downie:
Sean Dyche summed it up perfectly afterwards: "Newcastle are free-rolling. They're flying." An aggregate score line of 10-2 across their two matches this week has the fans licking their lips at the prospect of Champions League football next season. And I don't see anyone stopping them.
This is as free as they've played all season; their subs are making the team stronger; and there's a healthy competition coursing through the squad.
Here they stuck with a physical Everton in the first half, frustrated them, nicked one on the break, then blew them away second half.
They have so many players at the top of their game and so many players scoring or assisting. It must be a delight for Eddie Howe to oversee; he says his attackers are breathing down each others necks. Poor Everton couldn't live with them. Like Sunday, you could pick four or five different man of the matches.
Tonight felt like a final Premier League hurrah for Everton - they'll do well to recover from this. For Newcastle - Sunday can't come soon enough. Their travelling fans are loving every minute. But they'll be loving it even more in Europe's hot-spots next season.
Everton are next in action in a crunch match against fellow strugglers Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, live on Sky Sports on Monday Night Football, kick-off 8pm, while Newcastle host bottom-club Southampton on Sunday, kick-off 2pm.
May 1: Leicester (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 8: Brighton (A) - Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm
May 14: Man City (H) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports
May 20: Wolves (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 28: Bournemouth (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
April 30: Southampton (H) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm
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
