Monday evening saw a huge contrast in opponents. A hopelessly resigned and defeated Leicester City found themselves on the end of a sound thrashing from a confident Newcastle side who cruised to victory in third gear.

It was a professional job done by United, with man of the moment Jacob Murphy supplying a brace and former Fox Harvey Barnes adding a third. It was 3-0 and over by the half-hour mark, and Newcastle picked up another vital three points in their hunt for Champions League football next campaign.

With the confirmation this week that 5th will be granted a spot in the Champions League thanks to Arsenal’s 3-0 win over , there is still a lot to play for, increasing the incentive to remain consistent down the stretch.

As always, I’m Sam, and welcome to this week’s edition of the Toon Review!

Toon capitalise after rivals slip up 

With Chelsea, Man City, Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Bournemouth all failing to win over the weekend, it was over to us to capitalise and we made no mistake against a sorry Leicester City side.

This sort of affair always has the potential to become a banana skin for a side on a high like Newcastle, but if there was any complacency, it did not show.

The Magpies were in cruise control from start to finish and never looked for one moment like they would allow Leicester City back into the game.

The amazing story of Jacob Murphy continued, as the right-sided winger put United ahead after just 2 minutes, connecting on a low Tino Livramento cross. It didn’t take long for Murphy to add another, too, as he converted on the rebound of a ridiculous Fabian Schär effort from beyond the halfway line, beating the Leicester defenders to the ball after the Swiss defender’s audacious effort thumped back off the crossbar. Fabi was denied a Puskas Award calibre strike, but Newcastle had scored a vital second early in the game.

Pope was required a couple of times to keep the evergreen Jamie Vardy from converting, but by the half-hour-mark, the match was effectively put to bed. Former Leicester winger Harvey Barnes, getting an extended opportunity on the left due to Anthony Gordon’s absence, converted on the rebound of a Joelinton effort and celebrated respectfully in front of those who used to chant his name.

Not a great deal happened in the second period, and United hung on defensively to preserve another crucial victory in the quest for European football. That’s now three in a row for Newcastle in the league, as they look to be hitting their stride at the perfect time.

That’s now NINE away wins in our last 11 and another big victory on the road, where our form has been quietly superb for well over a year now. Since 2024, our away record reads: Played 33 – Won 20 – Drawn 3 – Lost 10.

Back at St James’ Park, it was a great night for our youngsters on Tuesday night, as two goals and two assists from Garang Kuol helped our Under-21s win 7-1 against Reading in the Premier League 2.

What Howe Said

“The first goal was crucial. It’s a great platform for you in any game. It was a brilliant goal as well.”

“I was a little bit disappointed that we didn’t go on and dominate the game, but we did enough and saw the game out.”

“We need to share the goals out, and it was great to see Harvey [Barnes] get a goal today as well.”

On Jacob Murphy: “He’s playing some great football and I think he’s confident. He’s enjoying playing with the players around him. I think the team’s style suits his style and he’s built up a great relationship with Alex [Isak]. It was great to see him get rewarded with two goals for himself today.”

The Rumour Mill

Newcastle target Liam Delap has a £30m relegation release clause in his Ipswich contract (The Guardian)

Newcastle are interested in Benfica’s Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis, 26, who will be available for around £85 million. (Record)

Manchester City look set to reignite their interest in Bruno Guimaraes as they prepare for the departure of Kevin De Bruyne this summer. (UOL esporte)

Newcastle have made contact with the agent of Fiorentina striker Moise Kean about a summer move. (Calciomercato)

Arsenal are no longer interested in Alexander Isak, with the striker set to be offered a new deal on Tyneside. (Chronicle)

On This Day…

On this day, 10th April, in 2010, Newcastle put a Blackpool side managed by Ian Holloway to the sword at St James’ Park.

Chris Hughton’s eventual champion Magpies thrashed the Tangerines 4-1 on their way to the division title and promotion back into the Premier League.

There were four different scorers for United, with goals from Jonas Gutierrez, Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan and Wayne Routledge. Talk about a blast from the past.

What’s Next?

Manchester United (H)

Remember when we would have been looking at this fixture and fearing the worst? Maybe just hoping for a point at home to the mighty Man United? Well, those are clearly days of the past now.

Sunday (4.30pm) sees a home fixture which Howe’s side should definitely be winning, especially as Man Utd are in Lyon tonight for the first leg of their European quarter-final.

As is always the case against the Red Devils, the home crowd will be up to the task. Will the players follow suit? You’d like to think so given what’s at stake and our recent run of four straight wins.

HWTL.

Toon Trivia

Well done to everyone who got last week’s question correct. I asked you what the score was the last time Newcastle met Leicester City at the King Power Stadium before Monday. The answer was indeed a 3-0 win for United, back on Boxing Day 2022.

With Manchester United coming to town on Sunday, how about this one? What is the projected capacity of the new stadium that Manchester United have been previewing?

That’s all for now. See you next time!