Newcastle United moved into third place in the Premier League with a 5-0 demolition of Crystal Palace at St. James’ Park, their fifth consecutive league win.
With head coach Eddie Howe still recovering from pneumonia, assistant Jason Tindall and first-team coach Graeme Jones once again took charge and have overseen back-to-back high-scoring victories, narrowing the gap on second-placed Arsenal to just four points.
Jacob Murphy opened the floodgates with a sensational strike from a tight angle in the 14th minute, before Harvey Barnes, Fabian Schär, and Alexander Isak got on the scoresheet. Palace’s misery was compounded by a Marc Guehi own goal.
The Magpies made light work of Howe’s absence, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games and opening up a five-point cushion over sixth-placed Chelsea. With a top-five finish securing Champions League football next season, Newcastle continue to assert themselves in the race for Europe.
“Winning the League Cup gave us huge confidence,” said Tindall. “We enjoyed the moment, but the objective remained the same — finish as high as possible. The manager always leads by example, and the players have responded with consistent, top-level performances.”
Isak had a pair of early chances, denied by Dean Henderson and then heading over from close range, but the goals soon flowed, with Murphy’s opener setting the tone for another dominant display.
Crystal Palace, sitting 12th in the table, now turn their attention to an FA Cup semi-final showdown with Aston Villa later this month.
