Summary:
- Palace welcome back numerous players from injury
- Three changes to the side which drew with Nottingham Forest
- Newcastle take early lead when Murphy’s intended cross loops in
- Mateta heads wide from a corner moments later
- Newcastle press for a second, Johnstone saving Murphy’s piledriver
- Gordon and Wilson miss big opportunities from close range
- Gordon volleys home a cross moments later
- Longstaff capitalises on slip to net Newcastle’s third
- HT: Newcastle 3-0 Palace
- Edouard twice has shots blocked by Lascelles
- Palace seek route back into the match
- Wilson scores Newcastle’s fourth on the break
- França plays 20 minutes off the bench on Palace debut
- Guéhi fires set-piece opportunity over the bar
- Pope turns Edouard’s late free-kick behind
- FT: Newcastle 4-0 Palace
The Eagles were bolstered by the return of four previously-injured first-team players, while Brazilian forward Matheus França made his first appearance in a matchday squad since signing from Flamengo in the summer.
Coming off the back of three consecutive clean sheets before the international break, Palace went into the match with the second-best defensive record in the Premier League so far – but that was breached within five minutes as Newcastle struck with a touch of fortune.
As would come to prove a familiar pattern of play, a Newcastle switch allowed Kieran Tripper to cushion the ball towards Jacob Murphy, and the forward’s attempted cross – as he stretched to reach the ball – looped high above Sam Johnstone and nestled inside the far post.
Linesman Adrian Holmes raised his flag in response to the initial pass to Trippier, but Palace’s reprieve was temporary as VAR judged the full-back to be onside.
The Eagles looked to hit back immediately and only a fine slide tackle from Fabian Schär prevented Will Hughes from converting Jean-Philippe Mateta’s pull-back seconds later, before the Frenchman – under pressure – headed wide the subsequent corner.
It was as good a spell as Palace would enjoy in the first-half, as Newcastle’s in-form attackers continually carved out chances from wide positions, Murphy’s swerving 25-yard piledriver beaten away by Johnstone.
Attacks down the right-hand side were proving profitable for the hosts, with Anthony Gordon volleying one Trippier cross against the crossbar from close range, and Callum Wilson pressured into heading another from Murphy over the woodwork.
But as the clock ticked towards half-time, the game slipped beyond Palace’s grasp, Gordon sneaking in at the back post to volley home Murphy’s early cross and Sean Longstaff capitalising on a slip at the back to put the hosts three ahead.
Palace improved after the interval, Odsonne Edouard twice getting into promising positions – but twice finding himself closed down at the critical moment by Jamaal Lascelles.
And immediately after arguably the Eagles’ best move of the match which culminated in Doucouré having a low effort saved by Nick Pope, another early ball from Murphy released Wilson to bury a decisive fourth.
There was one bright spark for Palace, as manager Roy Hodgson introduced bright young talents França – his debut – alongside Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and David Ozoh in the closing stages.
And the Eagles finished with a flurry of opportunities: Marc Guéhi fired a loose ball over the bar; Edouard saw a dipping free-kick turned away by Pope; and Joel Ward flicked a header at the near-post wide of the mark.
True otherwise to a challenging day at St James’ Park, it simply was not to be.
Newcastle: Pope (GK), Trippier (Livramento, 69), Schär, Lascelles, Burn, Joelinton (Anderson, 80), Longstaff, Guimarães (Tonali, 69), Murphy, Wilson (Isak, 70), Gordon (Almirón, 70)
Subs: Dúbravka (GK), Dummett, Targett, Hall
Palace: Johnstone (GK), Ward, Andersen, Guéhi, Mitchell, Doucouré, Lerma (Ozoh, 87), Hughes (França, 61), Ayew, Mateta (Rak-Sakyi, 61), Edouard
Subs: Matthews (GK), Clyne, Holding, Richards, Rïedewald, Ahamada