Alexander Isak scored a hat-trick as Newcastle United steamrollered Ipswich Town 4-0 at Portman Road to rack up a third dominant victory in the space of seven days.
Eddie Howe’s side, who beat Leicester City 4-0 a week ago and Brentford 3-1 in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday, went ahead via Isak’s first of the afternoon with just 26 seconds on the clock.
Jacob Murphy’s purple patch continued as he scored Newcastle’s second, his third goal in as many games, while also producing a sublime backheeled assist for Isak as he completed his treble early in the second half.
Chris Waugh breaks down the main talking points from a thumping Newcastle triumph.
A rapid start, a slow VAR check and a gift-wrapped goal
Ipswich kicked off, yet the ball ended up in their net inside just 26 seconds. Newcastle took a throw-in from their left-back position, Fabian Schar lofted a ball forward to play Murphy in down the right, he crossed, Sam Morsy only half-cleared, and Isak lashed a finish into the ground and beyond goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.
The on-field decision was offside, called by Natalie Aspinall, the assistant referee, with Murphy considered to have gone early, but he had actually perfectly timed his run, and Cameron Burgess had marginally played him onside. So marginal, in fact, that VAR official John Brooks took around three minutes to award the goal. Why it took so long, however, is unclear at this point.
#IPSNEW – 1’ VAR OVERTURN
Isak’s goal was disallowed for offside on-field. The VAR checked and established that Murphy was in an onside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was awarded. pic.twitter.com/pS9luT4pUj
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) December 21, 2024
If the Portman Road crowd were left angered by the officials for the first goal — chanting “F**k VAR” in response, despite technology eventually bringing about the correct decision — they were exasperated by their own players come Newcastle’s third, which settled the game in first-half added time.
Muric received a backpass from Dara O’Shea and extremely naively played a soft ball forward to Jens Cajuste. The backtracking midfielder did not realise Bruno Guimaraes had pursued him as part of Newcastle’s aggressive man-to-man marking approach and the Brazilian got a toe in to flick the ball to Isak.
The Sweden international accepted this gift-wrapped Christmas present four days early, coolly sitting Muric down and slotting into the net. It all just looked far too simple.
Say hello to another Jacob Murphy hot streak
There is a uniqueness to Murphy which is difficult to adequately encapsulate.
He is ridiculously inconsistent, usually within the same match, and has never truly established himself as Newcastle’s right-sided forward. Yet the 29-year-old is an extremely valued member of Howe’s squad. The head coach trusts him to both diligently carry out defensive instructions and rain crosses into the box. Those deliveries are sometimes exquisite, sometimes wayward, yet they increase Newcastle’s prospects of scoring.
Having ignored the possibility of potentially being offside to lay on the opening goal, Murphy once again showed that, when he gets it right, few Newcastle players can strike a ball as sweetly. Receiving possession from Anthony Gordon on the right-hand side of the box, he unleashed an unstoppable shot, which was beyond Muric before he could see it, rattling in via the underside of the crossbar.
His assist for Isak’s hat-trick goal was beyond sublime. Facing the right-hand touchline, inside the area, Murphy backheeled the ball, a move that took three Ipswich defenders out of the game.
That represented Murphy’s sixth goal contribution in his past three top-flight fixtures — and that figure does not even include his involvement in the first today.
The winger is becoming renowned for these rich streaks. In April 2023, he scored three and assisted one across five Premier League matches, including playing a two-goal role during a 6-1 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur. Then, during the final five top-flight matches of last season, Murphy laid on four goals and scored once himself.
Newcastle’s priority is a right-sided winger in the looming January transfer window but, if Murphy can prolong this sort of form, then perhaps the club can afford to wait a little longer to address a position they have wanted to reinforce since the takeover was completed more than three years ago.
Are the real Newcastle back?
This has been a massive, potentially season-defining week for Newcastle — and they have navigated it expertly. Really, it could not have gone any better.
After a goal-shy period, they have plundered 11 of them in little more than two and a half games, kept two clean sheets, secured three wins, advanced into the Carabao Cup semi-finals and risen from 12th to seventh in the Premier League, just two points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa and with a better goal difference.
Suddenly, every area of the team is functioning well again. The defence looks solid, with left-back Lewis Hall continuing to improve at a frightening rate. Sandro Tonali’s intelligence on and off the ball as a nominal No 6 has transformed the complexion of the midfield, with the Italian midfielder dovetailing and interchanging brilliantly with Guimaraes.
Up top, it has taken him 85 appearances, but finally Isak also has a hat-trick for Newcastle. That takes his tally to 46 for the club, 23 of which have come in the top flight during 2024. Only Alan Shearer (27 in 2002) and Andy Cole (24 in 1994) have scored more Premier League goals in a calendar year for Newcastle — and the Swede has two more games yet to add to his total.
The frightening reality is that Isak should have completed his hat-trick far sooner, and missed an easy one-on-one. Yet across his past nine league appearances, he has scored nine goals and laid on a further three.
Perhaps it is premature to hail a return of the Newcastle side we saw during much of the previous two seasons, given they put together a three-match winning run before the November international break and then went off the boil again after it. However, confidence has been restored and it will be a far happier Christmas on Tyneside than it looked like it would be before that Leicester match a week ago.
Positive momentum is definitely building.
What did Eddie Howe say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Newcastle United?
Thursday, December 26: Aston Villa (H), Premier League, 3pm GMT, 10am ET
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(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
