Newcastle 3-0 Ipswich: Workmanlike Magpies strengthen Champions League push

Saturday's game against struggling Ipswich was viewed by most Newcastle fans as the perfect opportunity to bounce back from last weekend's heavy defeat at Aston Villa - but it was not the straightforward contest the Toon Army might have been expecting.

Well, not initially anyway.

The Magpies failed to register a single attempt until midway through the first half, but the complexion of the game changed completely when Ipswich's Ben Johnson was dismissed for a second bookable offence eight minutes before half-time.

It was one-way traffic from that moment on as Bruno Guimaraes - who had had an earlier effort disallowed - was denied by Luke Woolfenden's goal-line clearance and Sandro Tonali rattled the woodwork with a fierce strike.

But the Magpies were awarded a golden opportunity to break the deadlock when Julio Enciso was adjudged by the video assistant referee to have fouled Jacob Murphy inside the penalty area in first-half added time.

Alexander Isak took full advantage to score his 22th Premier League goal of the campaign, moving him above Erling Haaland in the scoring charts.

The second half was little more than a training exercise for Newcastle as Dan Burn and Will Osula netted their first Premier League goals of the season from Kieran Trippier crosses, earning the hosts a comfortable win on head coach Eddie Howe's return to the dugout.

Howe's team face Brighton, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton in their remaining four games, but with a two-point cushion over sixth-place Nottingham Forest, a place in next season's Champions League is theirs to lose.