When Eddie Howe fell ill last week and it became clear Newcastle’s manager could be absent for some time, the team’s captain Bruno Guimarães convened an emergency meeting of senior players.
Everyone resolved, in Guimarães’s words to “keep our standards as high as ever” and subsequent actions have shown they meant it.
This utter demolition of Crystal Palace lifted Newcastle to third, leaving them only four points behind second-placed Arsenal. With Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, Guimarães and the once again outstanding Sandro Tonali in this sort of irrepressible form Champions League qualification looks a formality for a side that has now won six consecutive matches.
What Howe’s rivals would surely give to have Tonali dictating central midfield; not to mention Murphy ripping full-backs to shreds.
As Eddie Howe spent a sixth night in hospital recovering from pneumonia, Jason Tindall once again pulled on Newcastle’s managerial tracksuit and was soon rather enjoying himself.
Sure enough, by half time Crystal Palace wore the bewildered expression of a team that had conceded nine goals in a matter of days but at kick off, all Oliver Glasner could see was sunshine.
Admittedly his players had leaked five goals at Manchester City last weekend but with 11 wins in their previous 15 games and a place in the FA Cup semi finals Palace have had worse moments.
“I think we are in one of the best situations in our history now,” said Glasner as he reflected that mid-April and lingering relegation worries are no longer necessarily synonymous at Selhurst Park.
Unfortunately the ghosts of past struggles returned to haunt them here and Palace’s manager had Dean Henderson to thank for coming between Alexander Isak and an early goal. When Murphy accelerated clear down the right and cut back for the Sweden striker, Isak seemed near certain to score but Henderson dived acrobatically to his left and somehow kept his low shot out.
If that was a sublime save, even Glasner’s goalkeeper had no answer to the power of the awkwardly-angled cross shot that whizzed past him at his near post to give Newcastle the lead. Given his electric impact on proceedings it was appropriate that it was scored by Murphy.
When Kieran Trippier cued the winger up near the right corner flag, the ground waited for Murphy to cross or cut back but, instead, he whipped a high-velocity shot into the top corner.
Maybe it is his way of answering back after reading the incessant stream of reports echoing the view that Howe’s summer transfer market priority is a new “upgraded” right winger. With Murphy in this sort of form though any replacement will need to be red hot. After all, in his last 18 games alone, he has clocked up eight goals and nine assists.
Newcastle spent much of last summer trying, and failing, to sign Marc Guéhi from Palace. Here Glasner’s captain – a centre-half still much admired at St James’ Park – was up against Isak in a key sub-plot.
after newsletter promotion
How Guéhi could have done with Eberechi Eze equalising from the penalty spot. That kick was awarded – following a lengthy VAR review – when Nick Pope rather carelessly caught Chris Richards as they challenged for a Palace free kick.
Eze’s run up was big on fancy footwork but ultimately the England winger ran out of steam tapping tamely straight to Pope who had held his ground throughout the intricate preamble.
Newcastle swiftly made the most of that reprieve as Barnes reminded everyone that Murphy is not the only Newcastle winger in form. First he directed a cross towards Isak and watched in satisfaction as the ball looped over Henderson.
That though was merely Barnes warming up. For his next trick he collected Tonali’s pass, removed Maxence Lacroix from Glasner’s defensive equation courtesy of a smart step over and used his left foot to lash an angled shot across goal and on into the bottom corner.
By half time Fabian Schär had headed in Newcastle’s fourth after Trippier tapped a free kick to Murphy whose expertly-curved cross created yet another goal.
Isak had been having a bit of an off night by his lofty standards, missing a few chances but, re-discovering his shooting boots, he curled a superlative fifth – Newcastle’s ninth goal in two games – past Henderson from 20 yards. The blur of perfectly synchronised movement as the Swede shot first time after the fall out from Joelinton’s tackle on Lacroix fell kindly for him emphasised precisely why he is so widely coveted.