Newcastle continued their fine form, beating Crystal Palace 4-0 in a dominant display at St James’ Park on Saturday.
The 4-0 has kept the pressure on the current top four, with the Magpies sat just four points from Tottenham in fourth which will no doubt put the pressure on Spurs ahead of their Monday night game.
After a somewhat slow start, Eddie Howe has got this team in full flow, winning four of their last five games in the Premier League.
Both Jacob Murphy and Kieran Trippier were the cream of the crop, with both players combining for the opener after four minutes and threatening throughout as Newcastle climbed to fifth in the Premier League.
Goals from Anthony Gordon, Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson rounded off an emphatic afternoon with Roy Hodgson’s Palace side never really being in the game.
How far can this Newcastle side go?
Newcastle made it five straight home wins against Palace with that defeat to Brighton at the beginning of September feeling like a lifetime ago.
That was the last of three successive defeats for Howe’s players before embarking on an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions, scoring 22 and conceding just three.
Kieran Trippier has been a stalwart in the run and he grabbed his eighth assist of the season to set up Murphy in the win against Palace, with the England international setting the tone for quality in this team.
They will need every single player pulling in the same direction if the Magpies are to build on their success last season and with their five home games looking tough. Dortmund travel to the north-east in midweek for the Champions League and they will offer a threat that Howe’s side wouldn’t have faced over the last few weeks.
However, if standards continue to be set as high as this win over Palace, this side will be capable of much more than just a top four finish.
