Newcastle look bound for Champions League after crushing Tottenham 6-1

Newcastle United's Callum Wilson celebrates scoring their sixth goal with Miguel Almiron. (Reuters)
Newcastle United's Callum Wilson celebrates scoring their sixth goal with Miguel Almiron. (Reuters)
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Updated 23 April 2023
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Newcastle look bound for Champions League after crushing Tottenham 6-1

Newcastle United's Callum Wilson celebrates scoring their sixth goal with Miguel Almiron. (Reuters)
  • Win at St. James’ Park opens up 6-point lead over top 4 rivals

NEWCASTLE: What a difference a year makes.

Newcastle United put one foot firmly in the Champions League by hammering Tottenham Hotspur 6-1 at St. James’ Park to open up a six-point gap to their top-four rivals — and with a game in hand.

The result comes a little over a year after Antonio Conte’s Spurs put lowly Newcastle to the sword 5-1 in London. How the tables have turned now. The Magpies blitzed their opponents, who are now looking up at Newcastle, rather than down.

Five first-half goals, two apiece from Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak as well as one from Joelinton, ended this one as a contest. Harry Kane grabbed a consolation just after the break but Callum Wilson added his 11th of the campaign to put the icing on the cake.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe made just the one change to his side, with Sean Longstaff coming in for Anthony Gordon. And the midfielder, along with the other five in United’s front six, was at it from minute one, in a far cry from the disappointing dip at Aston Villa.

In fact, it took the Magpies just 60 seconds to open the scoring.

Pedro Porro will have nightmares about the runs of Joelinton from the Newcastle left, and one such dart caught the Spurs wing-back napping as the Brazilian cut in and fired at goal. His shot was saved by Hugo Lloris low to his left but that palmed clearance only fell to Murphy, who hammered into the roof of the net.

Just five minutes later it was 2-0 — and this time the creator was the scorer.

A searching ball from Fabian Schar picked out Joelinton, who ghosted in behind Porro again, slipped around Lloris and tucked into the empty net.

In a blistering opening quarter the Magpies added three, four and five in very quick succession — and it was the often unsung Murphy who added another, before on-fire Isak bagged another two to add to the eight he claimed in his previous 10 starts.

The third goal came when Murphy lined up from 30 yards and with one swipe of his right, bamboozled Lloris, who did not even move from the moment it left the Newcastle winger’s boot.

It was four when Joe Willock, a contender for man of the match, played one of the balls of the season with the outside of his foot, opening up a clear run at goal for Isak, who slid past Lloris.

He got his second, and Newcastle’s fifth within the first 21 minutes, when a deft touch inside by the impressive Longstaff put the Swede in on a tight angle. But his form is such that tough situations matter little to Isak, who tucked in for 5-0.

And while it will be a 21-minute period few with associations to Spurs will want to watch back, the least comfortable viewer of reruns would undoubtedly be Lloris. It was far from a captain’s display by the French stopper, who was embarrassingly replaced at the break.

Spurs could not be as bad for the second 45 minutes — and so it proved. Some fight was shown as Kane bagged his 24th of the season with a left-footed effort down low past England colleague Nick Pope, but all resistance was ended when, within two minutes of being brought on, Wilson was found by fellow sub Miguel Almiron and it was six.

Many Newcastle fans will now be asking whether it is time to dust off the passport.

It is hard to see them finishing outside the top seven clubs to make at least a Europa League berth, but will they actually mix it with the elite?

Brighton are 10 points behind Newcastle with two games in hand in eighth, and Liverpool seventh some nine points away from the Magpies.

Wins at Everton on Thursday and against relegation-threatened Southampton on Sunday will bring the dream closer and the chanting louder as Newcastle close in on Champions League football.


Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league

Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league
Updated 33 sec ago
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Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league

Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league
BARCELONA, Spain: Jude Bellingham scored one goal and set up another as Real Madrid dealt Girona their first defeat of the season to move ahead of the hosts at the top of the Spanish league on Saturday.
Bellingham fueled Madrid’s 3-0 victory on the road after passing for Joselu Mato’s 17th-minute opener. He then rounded off the scoring with his league-leading sixth goal in eight games after Aurélien Tchouaméni doubled the advantage.
Madrid climbed over Girona and Barcelona to the top of the standings. Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid now lead Barcelona by one point and Girona by two.
Girona, which are partly owned Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership, had entered the round leading the league after winning six straight games for the first time in club history.
Madrid lost defender Nacho Fernández in injury time when he saw a direct red for a studs-first tackle on Girona’s Cristian “Portu” Portugués. Portu had to be carried off on a stretcher. The foul led to a brief confrontation between players.

Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games

Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games
Updated 15 min 5 sec ago
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Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games

Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games
  • Saudi pole vaulter Hussein Al-Hizam wins first bronze in Asian Games with a jump of 5.65m
  • Hamoud Al-Elwani qualifies for long jump finals with 7.46m leap in first group semifinals

HANGZHOU, China: Saudi athlete Yousef Masrahi has claimed the Kingdom’s first gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou with victory in the 400-meters final on Saturday.
The Asian record holder won with a time of 45.55 seconds, repeating his victory in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon in 2014 when he won Saudi Arabia’s first gold medal in the same race.
Saturday’s victory marks Masrahi’s third medal in Asian Games. He won his first bronze in the 400-meters in Guangzhou in 2010 before winning gold in Incheon in 2014.
“The support of the Saudi audience was a great incentive for me to achieve the gold medal. I thank my parents for their support. I also thank my national coach Hamdan Al-Bishi, who worked hard to prepare me for this edition for over a year,” Masrahi said following his victory.
He also thanked Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee president, and his deputy Prince Fahd bin Jalawi for their support for Saudi sports.
Saudi pole vaulter Hussein Al-Hizam won his first bronze medal in the Asian Games with a jump of 5.65 meters on Saturday.
Al-Hizam said he is confident his Saudi teammates will win more medals in the remaining days of the Games, being held in Hangzhou in China.
Athletes Raed Al-Jedaani and Faisal Al-Subaiei qualified for the finals of the 1,500-meters race. Al-Jedaani finished first in the semifinals with a time of 3:51 minutes, while Al-Subaiei finished fourth with a time of 3:56 minutes.
Hamoud Al-Elwani qualified for the finals of the long jump with a 7.46-meter jump in the first group semifinals.
Injury forced sprinter Nasser Mahmoud to pull out of the 100 meters semifinals. His teammate Abdullah Abkar finished fourth with a time of 10.21 seconds.
In the 10,000 meters, Tareq Al-Omari finished seventh with a time of 28:46 minutes.
In the hammer throw final, Mohammed Al-Dubaisi finished 10th with a throw of 65.95 meters, while his teammate Mohammed Al-Zayer finished 12th with a distance of 62.5 meters.
Basketball:
The Saudi basketball team defeated the UAE 74-67 in the first group and qualified for the second round after finishing second behind Iran in first group. Iran defeated Kazakhstan 86-60. Each group’s first two teams will qualify in addition to the top four teams that rank third.Asian 


Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows

Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows
Updated 18 min 45 sec ago
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Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows

Newcastle United counting cost of Premier League success as injury list grows
  • New Joelinton blow adds to treatment-room headaches for head coach Eddie Howe

NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe admits Newcastle United are in a “difficult moment” after three key players were seemingly ruled out of next week’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

The Magpies recorded yet another win, this time over newly promoted Burnley at St. James’ Park thanks to goals from Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak. However, the shine was taken off the victory somewhat, as Joelinton’s return from a knee injury lasted just two minutes.

Head coach Howe confirmed after the game that the Brazilian had suffered a hamstring injury and will almost certainly be out until after the international break. That news comes fresh off the back of injuries suffered by Sven Botman and Callum Wilson, both of whom missed the victory over the Clarets.

“It’s a difficult moment for us injury wise. It’s that kind of season for us, with the physical demands we’re going to face," said Howe, whose side take on PSG under the St. James’ Park floodlights on Wednesday.

“You don’t want any injury, and any injury really hurts us, but it is what it is and we have to deal with it. We have to be resilient and deal with the challenges that will come. We just hope we can get those players back really quickly.”

While Wilson has an outside chance of playing against the Qatar-owned French giants, the prognosis on Botman is less positive.

“We’ve always believed we’ve got some really good players here. The problem for us, with the amount of games we have, is if we get injuries in one area,” Howe added.

“Unfortunately, at the moment, it’s all attackers, plus Sven, that are injured, which is a blow. It’s obviously going to stretch us, but hopefully with the international break coming, it will be a good time, fingers crossed, to get the majority of them back if we can, and then our squad will look really strong.

“The players that have come in, it’s great experience for them. I think they have done well, and that will lift us long term. It’s a great thing for us to see.

“Callum’s got a very minor hamstring problem. We hope he will be back soon. We hope we will see him before the international break, but there’s no guarantee. Sven has a hamstring problem, and I don’t think we’ll see him before the international break. Hopefully, we’ll see him very quickly afterwards.”

On Joelinton, Howe refused to close the door on his midfielder making a miraculous recovery, although given the nature of what the club fear with the injury, it seems unlikely.

He said: “It looks like a hamstring. That would be a huge blow if he lose him (Joelinton), but we’ll wait and see.”

While the story of the day may well be the Magpies’ mounting injury concerns, the overriding picture at Newcastle is a positive one.

Emerging from their sticky spell, which included defeats to Manchester City, Liverpool, and Brighton, Howe’s men have now gone on a five-game unbeaten run, not conceding a goal in that time.

“There’s no such thing as a regulation win. It was a tough game,” said Howe.

“We anticipated a tough game; I think Burnley are a really interesting team. I think Vincent (Kompany) has done a great job. We knew we had to be really good because they play a very open style, but it’s a dangerous style if you’re not perfect on your press or with whatever your game plan is.

“You have to deliver your game plan well, and I thought we did, probably after the first 10 minutes when we were a little bit slow out of the blocks. I thought we recovered really well, and I thought we deserved to win.”


Man City shocked by Wolves, Man Utd beaten by Crystal Palace

Man City shocked by Wolves, Man Utd beaten by Crystal Palace
Updated 30 September 2023
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Man City shocked by Wolves, Man Utd beaten by Crystal Palace

Man City shocked by Wolves, Man Utd beaten by Crystal Palace
  • Arsenal closed to within a point of the lead by cruising to a 4-0 win at Bournemouth
  • Wolves had taken just four points from their first six games but stunned the champions at Molineux

MANCHESTER, UK: Manchester City’s perfect start to the Premier League season came undone in a shock 2-1 loss to Wolves, as Manchester United slumped to a 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Arsenal closed to within a point of the lead by cruising to a 4-0 win at Bournemouth, while Aston Villa thrashed Brighton 6-1 to move into the top four.
City had won the opening six games of their title defense as they aim to become the first side to ever claim four consecutive English top-flight titles.
By contrast, Wolves had taken just four points from their first six games but stunned the champions at Molineux.
Ruben Dias’ own goal put the home side in front, but City responded after the break through Julian Alvarez’s free-kick.
Wolves, though, were a constant threat on the counter-attack and got their reward when Hwang Hee-Chan swept home at the second attempt 25 minutes from time.
City’s defeat means Liverpool can go top should they end Tottenham’s unbeaten Premier League start under Ange Postecoglou in the 1615GMT kick off.
United have now lost four of their opening seven league games of the season to pile more pressure on Erik ten Hag.
Joachim Andersen’s stunning first-half volley separated the sides at Old Trafford.
United had won a League Cup meeting between the sides 3-0 in midweek.
But with Palace restored to full strength, the Red Devils suffered from a familiar lack of cutting edge up front as they labored to get back into the game.
Defeat sees United slip to 10th in the table.
Arsenal moved up to second as Mikel Arteta’s men eased to victory at Bournemouth.
Bukayo Saka had been an injury doubt, but headed into an empty net to open the scoring on his 87th consecutive Premier League appearance.
Saka could have had more had he not then handed over penalty duties.
Martin Odegaard has shared responsibility from the spot with Saka this season and the Norwegian slotted home Arsenal’s second before the break.
Both Saka and Odegaard then stood aside to give Kai Havertz the confidence boost of his first goal for the club when the Gunners were awarded a second spot-kick on 53 minutes.
Ben White rounded off the scoring in stoppage time.
Newcastle’s recovery from a slow start to the season continues as the Magpies overcame Burnley 2-0.
Miguel Almiron fired into the top corner to open the scoring and Alexander Isak’s penalty secured the points 14 minutes from time.
Ollie Watkins bagged a hat-trick in Villa’s stunning demolition of Brighton.
Two goals from the England striker and a Pervis Estupinan own goal put Villa 3-0 up inside 26 minutes.
Ansu Fati reduced the deficit with his first Brighton goal.
But the day belonged to Watkins and he became the first Villa player in 47 years to score two hat-tricks in one season.
Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz piled on the pain for Brighton in the closing stages and did enough to edge Villa ahead of the Seagulls on goal difference.
“We are feeling strong here with the supporters, we are connected with them,” said Villa boss Unai Emery after a 10th consecutive home Premier League win.
Sheffield United remain bottom after the Blades were beaten 2-0 at West Ham with Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio getting the goals for David Moyes’ men.


Luton get their first Premier League victory by beating Everton 2-1

Luton get their first Premier League victory by beating Everton 2-1
Updated 30 September 2023
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Luton get their first Premier League victory by beating Everton 2-1

Luton get their first Premier League victory by beating Everton 2-1
  • Tom Lockyer and Carlton Morris scored seven minutes apart at Goodison Park
  • Beto missed two chances to equalize for Everton

LIVERPOOL, England: Luton earned their first Premier League win after scoring two first-half goals and hanging on for a 2-1 victory at Everton on Saturday.
Tom Lockyer and Carlton Morris scored seven minutes apart at Goodison Park before Dominic Calvert-Lewin cut the lead in half shortly before the break.
Beto missed two chances to equalize for Everton by sending headers over the crossbar — first in the 75th and again in the 86th.
A week ago, Luton secured their first point in a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton after having lost their first four games of the season — its first-ever in the Premier League.
Luton last played in England’s top division in 1991-92 — the season before it was rebranded as the Premier League.
The visitors outhustled Toffee defenders on both goals. Lockyer was first to a rebound off the crossbar to poke home in the 24th. Morris then got clear of a defender and volleyed in Alfie Doughty’s free kick in the 31st.
Calvert-Lewin netted from close range in the 41st. He’s now scored in three straight games.