Newcastle United delivered a blistering performance on Monday night, dismantling a hapless Leicester City 3-0 at the King Power Stadium to climb to fifth in the Premier League standings.
Jacob Murphy set the tone early, netting twice within the opening 11 minutes. The Magpies were clinical and composed, strengthening their bid for Champions League qualification, while Leicester sank deeper into crisis, becoming the first team in Premier League history to lose eight consecutive home games without scoring.
The Foxes also recorded their worst-ever home league campaign with an 11th defeat on their turf, adding to an already dismal season.
Murphy struck just two minutes in, unmarked and unbothered, to convert Tino Livramento’s precise low cross.
Minutes later, he capitalized on a stroke of brilliance from Fabian Schär, whose speculative strike from inside his own half crashed off the crossbar, falling perfectly for Murphy to tap in his second.
Harvey Barnes, once a Leicester favorite, compounded the home side’s woes by adding a third before the break with a simple finish in the box.
Meanwhile, Leicester’s misfortunes were symbolized by Patson Daka’s effort that rattled both goalposts before nestling into the hands of Newcastle keeper Nick Pope.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side offered more fight after the interval, with a silver lining in the form of 15-year-old Jeremy Monga, who made a memorable debut.
He became the Premier League’s second youngest player, behind Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri.
Newcastle, fresh off their recent League Cup triumph, ending a 70-year domestic trophy drought, continued to ride the wave of momentum. The win pushed them to 53 points from 30 matches, level with fourth-placed Chelsea and now ahead of Manchester City, with a game in hand.
“We know we are in a good position in the table. All we can do is our job and win our games and we will finish in the top four or five,” Barnes told Sky Sports. “If we win the games, the teams will be chasing us and not us chasing them.”
On the opposite end, Leicester’s freefall continues. With 17 points from 31 outings, they are entrenched in 19th and seem destined for a return to the Championship alongside already-relegated Southampton.
The club has now lost 15 of their last 16 league games and sits a staggering 15 points from safety.
“I don’t know how many games it’s been since we last picked up a point,” Leicester defender James Justin admitted. “It’s a horrible moment for the club with how we’re playing on the pitch. There is still a chance for us and we have to fight and claw for it but we aren’t showing it on the pitch.”
