Ruthless Newcastle pushed Burnley closer to the Premier League trapdoor with a 4-1 rout at Turf Moor that boosts their Europa League hopes.
It was a crushing afternoon for Burnley as Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win at Sheffield United left them five points from safety with only two left to play – a trip to Tottenham next week before Forest visit on the final day.
And it was the same old story. Vincent Kompany’s men began brightly and created a string of chances in the first 15 minutes but Callum Wilson scored from Newcastle’s first real attack 19 minutes in before goals from Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes put the game beyond doubt before half time.
Alexander Isak missed a penalty early in the second half but then got the fourth moments later as Newcastle moved up to sixth before Manchester United travel to Crystal Palace on Monday.
Dara O’Shea headed in a late corner but by then barely half the Burnley fans were still around to see it.
The Clarets had lost only one of their previous eight to get within touching distance of safety and started with a real buzz, winning a corner inside the first minute before early chances for Jacob Bruun Larsen and Lyle Foster.
Lorenz Assignon wanted a penalty in the eighth minute, charging into the box before Guimaraes barged into him and sent him sprawling but referee Anthony Taylor deemed it a fair challenge and VAR John Brooks agreed.
Newcastle were struggling to get close to Burnley’s box and the first time they did, Wilson was booked for simulation after tangling with Maxime Esteve.
But Wilson was celebrating the opener four minutes later. Tino Livramento led the charge downfield before the Magpies worked it wide to Jacob Murphy. Burnley goalkeeper Aro Muric denied Isak but the ball fell for Wilson to prod home.
Momentum immediately swung and an all-too-familiar pattern unfolded in front of the Turf Moor faithful.
Anthony Gordon and Dan Burn went close before the second goal arrived in the 35th minute. Gordon sent a deep cross to Wilson, who twisted away from Esteve to feed Murphy, who cut it back for the arriving Longstaff to sweep home.
Five minutes later, Burnley fans were sent streaming for the exits as Newcastle got their third. Assignon was too easily robbed of possession by Burn and Gordon was barely challenged before laying the ball off for Guimaraes to pass into the corner of the net.
It was Gordon’s 10th assist of the season to go with his 10 goals.
With England manager Gareth Southgate watching on, Gordon started the second half in much the same vein, setting up an early chance for Wilson before winning a penalty in the 51st minute, dragged down by Josh Brownhill after charging along the touchline.
Isak stepped up but a poor penalty was too close to Muric, who pushed it to safety before a lengthy VAR check decided the goalkeeper had not moved too soon.
Not that it mattered, as Isak would score three minutes later after a loose pass from Sander Berge sent Newcastle racing forward again.
Murphy’s low cross was just behind Isak but he adjusted to fire in his 20th league goal of the season – the first Newcastle player to reach the mark in the Premier League since Alan Shearer 20 years ago.
With the home stands of Turf Moor rapidly emptying, Muric did well to deny Guimaraes a second in the 68th minute while at the other end O’Shea had the final word when he met Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s corner, but it was scant consolation for desperate Burnley.
Pep Guardiola cast doubt over his long-term Manchester City future after admitting he is running out of things to achieve following an historic fourth straight Premier League title.The battle for top spot went down to the final day but the reigning champions held their nerve at the Etihad Stadium, where they could not afford a slip-up with Arsenal breathing down their necks.Phil Foden’s fant...
Roberto De Zerbi would like to work in the Premier League again but insisted he does not have another job lined up as he bade farewell to Brighton with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.The Italian, whose departure by mutual consent was announced on Saturday, has been linked with a host of top European clubs.De Zerbi cited a difference of vision with Albion owner Tony Bloom as the reason for leavi...
Rob Edwards admitted the doubters were right about Luton after they were relegated from the Premier League following a final-day 4-2 defeat to Fulham at Kenilworth Road.Adama Traore opened the scoring for the Cottagers with Raul Jimenez on target twice and Harry Wilson rounding things off midway through the second half. Carlton Morris (penalty) and Alfie Doughty scored to make it 1-1 and 2-3, but ...
Oliver Glasner replied with an emphatic “no” when asked if he expected his first three months in charge of Crystal Palace would result in his new side equalling a best-ever top-10 Premier League finish.The mood was sour in south London when the Austrian took over a relegation-threatened Eagles side in February, a nadir best exemplified by the protest banners raised by a disillusioned f...
Mikel Arteta vowed Arsenal would come back stronger and win the Premier League after they suffered title heartbreak for a second season in a row.The Gunners claimed a late 2-1 win over Everton on the final day but Manchester City’s 3-1 victory at home to West Ham crowned them champions for a fourth consecutive year.Any chances of last-day jeopardy appeared minimal from the outset, but were r...
Erik ten Hag says Manchester United must “do everything” to repay the “best fans in the world” by lifting the FA Cup after his club suffered their worst Premier League finish.The 20-time English champions signed off a dismal top-flight campaign with a 2-0 win at Brighton but finished in eighth place – their lowest final position since coming 13th in the old first divi...
Nuno Espirito Santo said he would celebrate with “two or three beers” after Nottingham Forest made sure of their Premier League status with a 2-1 win at already-relegated Burnley.Chris Wood scored a brace inside the opening 15 minutes against his former club to eliminate any worries that Luton might have beaten Forest to 17th place – something that would have required an unlikely...
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou says a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League is a good achievement in his first season but insisted he has “lofty ambitions”.Spurs confirmed their place in next season’s Europa League with a 3-0 win at relegated Sheffield United on the final day of the season.Dejan Kulusevski’s double and Pedro Porro’s strike ensured they finished a...
Eddie Howe hopes Bruno Guimaraes was not bidding Newcastle a fond farewell after scoring the goal which clinched seventh place.Guimaraes capped a 4-2 win at Brentford with a late strike and celebrated in front of the away fans in a Toon bucket hat.The Brazil midfielder, linked with a move away this summer, then spent a long time waving to the travelling support after the final whistle.“I don...
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Anfield to never stop believing and to welcome his successor Arne Slot like they welcomed him as “change is good”.Speaking at a presentation on the pitch, made by owners John W Henry and Tom Werner, chief executive Billy Hogan and Sir Kenny Dalglish after the 2-0 victory over Wolves, the German addressed the crowd and offered a positive outlook on th...
- 1 Sterling considering leaving the club
- 2 Major Liverpool star still an option for Real
- 3 Real Madrid star and fellow Brazilian ace in bizarre WAG SWAP
- 4 Marcus Rashford's new £700,000 Rolls Royce Wraith revealed
- 5 Mourinho to join Fenerbahce?
- 6 Jhon Duran bags brace as Aston Villa draw with Liverpool to boost top-four hopes
- 7 Nuno Espirito Santo achieves ‘main objective’ as Forest win secures survival
- 8 My footballer husband is unemployed but I can still contribute 50p
- 9 Celtic run riot against Kilmarnock to win another Premiership title
- 10 Ian Murray says Raith will improve for play-off final after shootout success