Newcastle ended their away game against the Blues in strong fashion, beating Everton 4-1 and recording their first away league win since April.
Eddie Howe said he was tired of talking about the Toon’s poor performance away from St James’s Park, but the team responded with a polished and relentless performance.
In Monday’s 10-man win at Old Trafford, the hosts showed no fight or resilience, with their three goals conceded in the first half due to defensive deficiencies.
With Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford forced in for a corner, Malick Thiau set the tone with his fastest goal of the season in the Premier League 52 seconds into the game, his first since his £35m move from AC Milan in the summer.
Former Sunderland man Pickford had an unforgettable night as he doubled the Toon’s lead with Lewis Miley’s ferocious drive through the defense.
The excellent Nick Woltemaid produced an artistic lob finish from a fluid counter to leave Pickford standing and it was 3-0 before the break. Everton were hit again by crosses in the second half, but Thiau rose highest to slot home the fourth goal.
Lewis Miley is mopped up by team-mates after scoring Newcastle’s second goal against Everton
Howe was defending Nick Pope after a series of high-profile errors, but was spared a difficult decision as the goalkeeper sustained a groin injury in training. This marked Aaron Ramsdale’s first league start for the club since joining on loan in the summer, but he was not called up for any significant action until the 53rd minute, when he was tested by manager Iliman Ndiaye.
Keenan Dewsbury-Hall provided a brilliant consolation for a lethargic Everton side who were outclassed and beaten in every department by the visiting side.
Newcastle currently sit within four points of fourth place in the Premier League on 18 points.
“Newcastle will be close to the top six or eight very soon.”
Phil Jagielka on Sky Sports:
“Newcastle were thoroughly professional. There was a bit of outside noise because they weren’t where they wanted to be in the league, but I think the players and the manager knew that.
“But the only way to move up in the standings is to come to a tough place like today, perform like they did and get points.
“I have no doubt they will be somewhere near the top six or eight in the league soon, but they need to start winning more away games.”
Analysis: Librament becomes the control tower
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones said:
Tino Libramento didn’t just play at right-back in Newcastle’s 4-1 win over Everton, he was a source of creativity for them.
playmaker.
It was a Trent Alexander-Arnold impersonation with a Tyneside-esque twist, a masterclass in hybrid, inside-out playmaking that should have Newcastle fans very excited.
Especially in the first half, Livramento played deftly from the right wing.
He kept Jack Grealish in the pocket and cut through Everton with his passes. Every time he stepped inside, the shape of Newcastle changed. Sometimes he flew away with number eight, then quarterback, then overlap. Everton couldn’t track him down. In fact, they never got close. No player completed more passes in the final third than Libramento (18).
Newcastle’s best moves flowed through him. When he got on the ball, their tempo increased. The entire tactical blueprint developed by Howe was further enhanced by this tactical tweak to get Libramento on the ball at every opportunity.
Mr. Howe asked if Pope had been voted out anyway.
Asked if Pope would play if he was fit, Howe said: “Good luck! That’s what I know.
“We’re disappointed to lose him. We can’t afford to lose any player.
“He got injured at the end of training. He didn’t say his name to the team until yesterday.
“So we were training as usual and he tripped on the shot and felt something in his groin. It was more after training than it was at that moment. We hope he won’t be out for a long time.”
“We need to bring him back. He will undergo scans in the next few days to find any damage.”
