Newcastle United responded to their demoralising 4-1 loss on the road to Aston Villa by easily getting the better of ten-man Ipswich Town 3-0 back at St James’ Park.
The Champions League aspiring side are now up to third in the Premier League standings off the back of this straightforward victory, with the result also finally sending the Tractor Boys back down to the Championship after they had been agonisingly waiting on.
Of course, Alexander Isak had to get in on the goalscoring action for Eddie Howe’s Magpies, with his penalty late into the first half getting the ball rolling for what was a comprehensive home victory.
Isak's performance in numbers
Isak is now up to a stunning 26 goals in all competitions, courtesy of his opener versus Kieran McKenna’s relegated visitors, but it was not the most impressive all-round showing from the Swede away from coolly converting his spot-kick.
Indeed, the forward would only manage to muster up 37 touches of the ball away from his decisive penalty beating Alex Palmer, with the ex-Real Sociedad man also managing to spurn two big chances to try and make Newcastle’s lead even more emphatic.
William Osula will be looking to keep Isak on his toes after finding the back of the net himself as a second-half substitute, but the 25-year-old’s starting spot is still very much set in stone, considering his blistering ability to fire home opportunities when he’s at his best.
There is another figure in Howe’s main XI who will also be confident that his spot is nailed on as secure, especially after his classy afternoon against Ipswich further cemented his worth to the Magpies’ cause.
The 10/10 ace who is now as undroppable as Isak
Minus that glaring blip at Villa Park, Newcastle have been a joy to watch in recent weeks if you’re of a Tyneside persuasion, with Howe’s men winning eight of their last nine games in all competitions away from the 4-1 loss to Unai Emery’s side.
Newcastle just seem to have a wonderful squad cohesion at the moment, with Dan Burn always putting in titan-like displays at the back, alongside Kieran Trippier chipping in with some crucial assists when the heat is ramped up.
The former Tottenham Hotspur full-back would of course play a huge role in the Magpies shocking Liverpool at Wembley in the EFL Cup final, with his corner kick delivery perfect for the head of Burn to convert during the 2-1 victory.
There was a sense of deja vu in the air at St James’ Park on Saturday as Trippier would tally up one of his assists on the day when picking out the reliable man mountain once more, alongside also teeing up Osula for his first-ever Premier League strike.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
2
Touches
156
Accurate passes
113/122 (93%)
Key passes
3
Accurate crosses
3/12
Total duels won
5/12
The ageing defender was constantly involved in Newcastle attacks when bombing down the right flank, with Trippier ending the contest with a mind-blowing 156 touches amassed, on top of 113 accurate passes being registered.
The Magpies number two isn’t any spring chicken at 34 years of age, but Howe will surely want to keep him around past this season despite his veteran status, particularly if he can conjure up more top-drawer showings like this one.
Unbelievably, football journalist Lee Ryder would hand out a faultless 10/10 match rating to Trippier after the dust had settled on the win, stating that his performance was massively ‘influential’, which is why he is now as undroppable as Isak.
Newcastle will just hope the assists keep flowing from Trippier when the Toon travel to a dangerous Brighton and Hove Albion side to kickstart May, knowing full well that more heroics to come from their loyal servant could see a Champions League place become a reality.
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