Murphy at the Double as Ruthless Newcastle Punish Woeful Leicester
Newcastle United stormed to a commanding 3-0 victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, with Jacob Murphy netting twice in the opening 11 minutes and Harvey Barnes adding a third before the break.
Murphy opened the scoring in just the second minute, tapping in after a low cross from Tino Livramento. His second came moments later, capitalising on a bold long-range attempt from Fabian Schär that rattled the crossbar. The alert Murphy reacted quickest to slot home the rebound.
Barnes, facing his former club, made it three in the 34th minute — pouncing on a loose ball after Mads Hermansen denied Joelinton. Out of respect, he opted not to celebrate.
Leicester’s struggles in front of goal continued. They last scored a home league goal on December 8 against Brighton and have now become the first team in Football League history to lose eight consecutive home league games without scoring.
Howe: “The Next Week Is Massive”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe praised his side’s mentality following their recent League Cup triumph, which ended a 56-year trophy drought.
“I can’t compliment them enough,” he told the BBC. “They’re a grounded, humble group who want to do well and represent the club in the right way — and they’ve shown that consistently in recent weeks.”
Howe acknowledged the mounting pressure in the race for a top-four finish.
“The next week is massive for us,” he said. “We’ve got three tough games coming up — Manchester United, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa — and they’ll play a huge role in deciding where we end up.”
Leicester Collapse Under Pressure
Despite a more spirited second-half performance, Leicester rarely troubled Newcastle’s back line. The loudest cheer from the home fans came late on with the debut of 15-year-old Jeremy Monga, who became the second-youngest player in Premier League history.
Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, appointed in November, admitted his team is suffering from a deep lack of confidence.
“In the second half, once the pressure was off, you could see more freedom and some decent football,” he told Sky Sports. “But when the pressure’s on, it becomes incredibly difficult. Those early goals killed us.”
With Newcastle now leapfrogging Manchester City and only six points separating third-placed Nottingham Forest from seventh-placed Aston Villa, the battle for Champions League places is tighter than ever.