EPL on Citi: Newcastle demolish Crystal Palace to go third in standings

Newcastle United climbed to third place in the Premier League. They are now closer to Champions League qualification. The team achieved this with a strong win over Crystal Palace at St James' Park.

Manager Eddie Howe is still recovering from pneumonia. Despite his absence, Newcastle dominated the first half, leading 4-0. This loss further hurt Crystal Palace's chances of European play next season.

Jacob Murphy opened the scoring in the 14th minute. His right-foot shot from a tight angle went past Dean Henderson at the near post.

Crystal Palace had a chance to equalize when Nick Pope fouled Chris Richards in the box. The referee awarded a penalty after checking VAR. However, Pope saved Eberechi Eze's weak penalty kick.

This miss proved costly for Palace. Newcastle doubled their lead in the 38th minute when Marc Guehi scored an own goal from a Harvey Barnes cross.

Barnes then scored himself just before halftime. He beat Maxence Lacroix with a step-over and fired past Henderson. The home fans cheered as Fabian Schar headed home Murphy's cross during added time.

Alexander Isak scored his 25th goal of the season in the second half. Joelinton stole possession and Isak finished with a fine 25-yard shot into the corner.

This victory was Newcastle's biggest of the season. They are now two points ahead of Nottingham Forest and four behind Arsenal with six games left.

Crystal Palace came close to scoring when Daniel Munoz's header was blocked on the line by Eddie Nketiah. Oliver Glasner’s team has conceded five goals for two consecutive games, following a 5-2 loss at Manchester City. They remain 12th in the table with 43 points.