Premier League: Murphy's Rapid Fire Goals Propel Newcastle to Fifth Place

Key Takeaways

Newcastle United aims for UEFA Champions League.
Jacob Murphy scored twice early in the match.
Leicester City risks relegation with their poor form.
Newcastle secured their place in the top five.
Leicester has lost eight consecutive home matches.

Leicester, April 8 (NationPress) Newcastle United enhanced their chances for UEFA Champions League qualification and pushed Leicester City closer to relegation with a dominant 3-0 victory at King Power Stadium.

With several competitors for a top-four finish faltering over the weekend, Newcastle seized the opportunity to climb to fifth place in the standings with a stunning performance.

Jacob Murphy's rapid double strike provided Eddie Howe's squad with a two-goal cushion early on at the King Power Stadium, followed by Harvey Barnes netting a third before halftime.

With one game in hand, Newcastle now sits one point ahead of Manchester City and trails only Chelsea on goal difference. Meanwhile, Leicester remains 15 points behind 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, with just 21 points remaining to contest.

“I’m really pleased. This is a huge win for us. We understood it wouldn't be straightforward. We started excellently, which laid the groundwork for our victory,” stated Newcastle manager Howe.

Leicester's coach Ruud van Nistelrooy commented, “It’s evident where we faltered very early in the match.”

“If we analyze the three goals, we could have performed better in each instance. Newcastle is lethal on the counterattack and finished the match swiftly.”

Newcastle has claimed 11 victories in their last 15 Premier League fixtures (L4), starting with a 4-0 triumph over Leicester on December 14; only Liverpool (38) has garnered more points in the league during that time than the Magpies’ 33.

Leicester has become the first team in the top four tiers of English football to experience eight consecutive home league defeats without scoring a goal.