Newcastle secure crucial win to go Second

• Newcastle scored three goals to go Second
• The Magpies beat Leicester 0-3
• Chris Wood, Almiron and Joelinton all scored

Magpies scored three goals in the first 32 minutes; Chris Wood opened the scoring with a penalty; Miguel Almiron scored 2-0 with his ninth season goal; Joelinton added third with a header.

Newcastle moved to second in the Premier League after a 3-0 win at Leicester following the World Cup break, with Miguel Almiron scoring his ninth season goal.

The Magpies scored all three goals in the first 32 minutes of their Boxing Day victory, which moves them one point ahead of Manchester City and four points behind leaders Arsenal, despite both teams having two games in hand.

Newcastle led 2-0 after seven minutes at the King Power Stadium, thanks to Chris Wood’s penalty and Almiron’s excellent finish, his eighth goal in his last nine Premier League appearances.

Then, Joelinton headed in a third from a corner to put the game beyond the reach of the Foxes and secure their best run in the Premier League since 2012.

Leicester’s four-game winning streak in all competitions ends with a loss, keeping them in 13th place.

Leicester caught off-guard

Joelinton celebrates his header goal|Photot: sky sports|

Both teams hadn’t played in the Premier League in 45 days, but they had warmed up nicely for the holiday match in the East Midlands after winning their midweek Carabao Cup fourth-round matches and being paired up there.

But Leicester, who were once more without James Maddison, were caught off guard when, after just 90 seconds, Daniel Amartey brought down Joelinton to award the visitors a penalty.

Chris Wood, filling in for the sick Callum Wilson, scored from the penalty spot to give Newcastle a lead in the third minute.

Almiron doubled their lead stunningly four minutes later. He played a lovely one-two with Bruno Guimaraes and then expertly slid the ball past Danny Ward to continue his stellar season.

Leicester’s only real chance came in the 22nd minute when Kieran Dewsbury-Hall played through Patson Daka, but he was denied by the oncoming Nick Pope, with Sven Botman clearing the rebound off the line.

Newcastle’s first-half demolition job was completed by Joelinton’s 32nd-minute header from Kieran Trippier’s corner, who has now lost just one of their first 19 games in all competitions.

Leicester had more possession in the second half, but they were missing the creative presence of James Maddison, who has been out with a knee injury since last month, with the Foxes managing just two shots on target throughout the game.

Newcastle moves to Second.

Miguel Almiron scored as Newcastle moved second.||PHOTO: Sky Sports|

With that emphatic win, Newcastle moved up to second place in the Premier League standings, just four points behind league leaders Arsenal, despite having played two fewer games.

Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester looked as shaky defensively as they did at the start of the season when they were bottom of the table – the loss today keeps them in 13th place, four points above the relegation zone.

Newcastle’s next opponents are Leeds United on New Year’s Eve, while Leicester faces a daunting trip to Anfield on Friday night to face Liverpool.