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Ipswich Town 0 v 4 Newcastle United
FA Premier League
Saturday, 21st December 2024 Kick-off 15:00
Ipswich Town 0-4 Newcastle United - Match Report
Saturday, 21st Dec 2024 17:09

Alexander Isak hit a hat-trick and Jacob Murphy the other as Newcastle United beat the Blues 4-0 to inflict Town’s heaviest home defeat under Kieran McKenna. The Swedish international put the visitors in front in the opening 25 seconds, VAR overruling an offside against Murphy in the build-up, before the former England U21 international made in 2-0 on 32, then Isak added his second and Newcastle’s third in first-half injury time and completed his hat-trick nine minutes after the restart.

Aside from the return of Sammie Szmodics, who missed the 2-1 win at Wolves last week as he was ill, for suspended number nine Liam Delap, it was the same side which lined up at Molineux. On the bench, Jacob Greaves came in for Luke Woolfenden.

Newcastle also made one change from the team which beat Leicester 4-0 last week and Brentford 3-1 in the Carabao Cup, both at St James’ Park, with midfielder Joelinton suspended. Joe Willock started in the Brazilian’s place.

The visitors had the ball in the net inside the first 25 seconds via the game’s first attack Murphy was sent away down the right and the former Norwich man’s cross was cut out by Morsy but only as far as Isak, who slammed home as he broke into the area.

Assistant referee Natalie Aspinall immediately raised her flag with Murphy having appeared well offside.

However, after a lengthy VAR check for the offside and also a potential handball, it was ruled that Cameron Burgess had played Murphy onside and the goal - the Magpies’ fastest ever away in the Premier League - stood, much to the frustration of the Town players - who had clearly been anticipating a flag before it came - and the delight of the away fans in the Cobbold Stand.

Having got their noses in front and with rain now falling heavily, the Magpies put the Blues under further pressure, Sandro Tonali shooting not too far over from just outside the area in the 10th minute.

But Szmodics had already made some impact on the left, then on 12 Omari Hutchinson struck an effort against a defender on the edge of the box, before Leif Davis, born in Newcastle and Magpies fan growing up, sent the ball back in from the left and Lewis Hall and Conor Chaplin clashed heads.

Newcastle should have gone two in front in the 14th minute when Murphy, who had had free rein down the right in the opening minutes, stood up a cross towards the far post but Anthony Gordon headed down into the ground and over the bar. It was a fortunate escape for the Blues.

Town started to see more of the ball and in the 20th minute Jens Cajuste turned away from Tino Livramento and took it on into the left of the area before shooting not too far over.

Moments later, Chaplin cleverly played Szmodics in on goal but keeper Martin Dubravka was quickly off his line to block.

The Blues kept the visitors pinned in their half for the next few minutes but without threatening Dubravka’s goal further.

On 23, Newcastle broke away after Town had lost possession but Morsy threw himself in to block as Murphy looked to shoot having been fed by skipper Bruno Guimaraes.


With the rain now falling even more heavily, the Magpies had another big opportunity in the 25th minute, Murphy finding Isak on the left of the area but the Swedish international striker tamely lifted the ball into Aro Muric’s arms when he will feel he should have been celebrating his and his side’s second goal of the afternoon.

But seven minutes later, the visitors were two goals in front. Gordon was found on the left of the box and was forced inside as he looked for space to shoot. Having been unable to get in an effort himself, he moved it on to Murphy on the right of the area and the wideman slammed past Muric and into the net off the underside of the bar.

As the game approached the 35-minute mark, Chaplin underwent treatment and the rest of the Town team went to the sidelines for instruction from manager Kieran McKenna and his staff with the Northern Irishman having his work cut out to get his team back into the match at this stage.

In the 42nd minute, Newcastle again broke quickly having gained possession on halfway and Isak curled a shot towards Muric’s left corner but the keeper was able to get across to save and claim at the second attempt.

As the half moved into four additional minutes, Szmodics, who scored against Newcastle for Blackburn in the FA Cup last season, picked up a pass from Cajuste and broke into the area on the left but shot over.

Seconds later, it was 3-0, the Magpies profiting from Town making a mess of playing it out from the back. Morsy passed back to Muric, who played it forward to Cajuste, who was dispossessed around 10 yards from his own goal by Guimaraes, who fed Isak, who won’t have an easy opportunity to score in his career, beating Muric to his left.

There was still time for Newcastle to have another chance before the break, Gordon sliding in and diverting the ball wide at the left post from a looping cross.

At the whistle, there were muted boos after the Blues’ worst defensive half of the season so far against perhaps the sharpest attack.

The offside decision on the first goal looked very, very tight, indeed most anticipated the assistant’s flag being upheld by VAR. However, the ball really ought to have been cleared from there by Morsy.

Town had had a spell where they had kept possession and created a couple of chances at 1-0, they had never really looked like causing the visitors’ defence too many problems.

But Newcastle had looked like scoring every time they attacked and probably should have added to their goals before they scored their second, while the third was a gift.

With the game already lost barring a miracle, Town made a change ahead of the second half, Ali Al-Hamadi replacing Hutchinson, who had had a very quiet half, with Szmodics moving to the left having given the Newcastle centre-halves little trouble in the first period.

Five minutes after the restart, the Iraqi international briefly found himself played in in space on the right of the area but turned into traffic and eventually his shot was blocked.

Newcastle went close to a fourth in the 52nd minute, Hall crossing from the left and Guimaraes stooping to head but diverting the ball the wrong side of the post.

But two minutes later, it was 4-0 as Isak completed his first Magpies hat-trick. Newcastle built from the back before Burgess’s interception reached Murphy, who twisted and turned his way into the right of the box before deftly back-heeling a pass to Isak, who took a touch before stabbing into the corner of the net and celebrating with the away fans in the opposite corner.

The Magpies, who were in complete control, went looking for a fifth and on 57 Willock went round outside of Clarke on the left and into the area but shot over, requiring treatment having done so.

Town made a double change in the 62nd minute, Jack Taylor and Kalvin Phillips, making his first appearance since the Leicester game at the start of November, taking over from Chaplin and Cajuste.

A minute later, Gordon was found in space on the left, took the ball on but his shot was too close to Muric.

Town were next to threaten, Wes Burns taking the ball on on the right before hitting a cross-shot which flew beyond his teammates and past Dubrava’s post with the keeper unruffled.

Newcastle made a triple change in the 63rd minute, Sean Longstaff, Kieran Trippier and Harvey Barnes replacing Murphy, who despite Isak’s hat-trick had been the visitors’ outstanding player, Livramento and Willock.

On 65, there was further misery for the Blues with skipper Morsy picking up his fifth booking of the season for a shove in the back of Guimaraes, a challenge which didn’t look particularly worthy of a card in itself. Morsy, who had gone nine games without a yellow card, now misses the trip to Arsenal on Friday.

Sub Barnes volleyed well over following a corner on 67 as the Magpies continued to take the game to Town and look for further goals. On 73, Miguel Almiron took over from hat-trick hero Isak, who had taken his season’s tally to 11 and his Premier League total for 2024 to 23.

With 13 minutes left on the clock, with Blue Action keeping singing away in the corner of the Cobbold Stand, Al-Hamadi was booked for a frustrated foul on Guimaraes, another of the Magpies’ impressive performers.

Town switched Burns and Szmodics for Ben Johnson and Nathan Broadhead in the 78th minute, the Wales international forcing a save from Dubravka almost immediately, hitting a low shot to the keeper’s left that the Slovak international palmed away. Two minutes later, Guimaraes was swapped for Lewis Miley.

Newcastle played out the rest of the game in comfort, prodding and probing for a fifth but without the intensity of earlier in the match, while Broadhead added some direct running for the Blues but without creating an opportunity from which Town might have pulled a goal back.

In the third minute of injury time, Dan Burn tapped the ball home from close range having been found by Longstaff after the Blues had failed to clear a Barnes cut-back from the right. The assistant flagged and on this occasion VAR upheld the decision.

That was the last action of a game comprehensively won by the visitors with the result never really in question once VAR had overturned the offside in the build-up to the first goal.

A chastening afternoon for Town, who have only previously been beaten 4-0 under McKenna once, at Leeds a year ago on Monday. The Blues have been competitive in most of their games since promotion, but were never completely able to handle the pace of Murphy, Isak and Gordon whenever Newcastle regained possession and could have been more than three goals behind at the break.

The second half was the predictable period with a side already three-up at the break, the visitors, who are up to seventh, netting once more through Isak, while the Blues huffed and puffed but never showed any sign of getting back into the game.

Despite that, McKenna and his men were applauded by their support as they made their way round the pitch at the whistle.

Coincidentally, Isak’s hat-trick is the first by an opposition player since Kevin Nolan netted three in another 4-0 Newcastle victory over the Blues, then managed by Roy Keane, in September 2009.

Town, who remain 18th having missed a chance to climb out of the bottom three with Leicester hosting Wolves on Sunday, now have two more tough games before 2024 draws to a close, at Arsenal two days after Christmas and then Chelsea at Portman Road, where the Blues are now without a win in nine, on December 30th.

Town: Muric, H Clarke, O'Shea, Burgess, Davis, Cajuste (Phillips 62), Morsy (c), Burns, Chaplin (Taylor 62), Hutchinson (Al-Hamadi 46), Szmodics. Unused: Walton, Johnson, Townsend, Greaves, Broadhead, J Clarke.

Newcastle: Dubravka, Livramento (Trippier 63), Schar, Burn, Hall, Guimaraes (c) (Miley 80), Tonali, Willock (Barnes 63), Murphy (Longstaff 63), Isak (Almiron 72), Gordon. Unused: Vlachodimos, Targett, Osula, Kelly. Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire). VAR: John Brooks. Att: 29,774 (Newcastle: 2,991).


Photo: Matchday Images



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woollyhattedliberal2 added 17:10 - Dec 21
I'm not going to slam Muric

As a goalkeeper he's all right - he's made some good saves & some mistakes (all goalkeepers make mistake)

As a footballing goalkeeper his distribution is woeful - he makes poor decisions and executes poorly - it was woeful in pre-season and it is still woeful halfway through the season.

To paraphrase KM " we take the positives and try to learn the lessons from the negatives".

The lesson here is Muric can't play the way KM wants to play. As a manager you find players who can play your way or you find a way of playing that suits your players.

So a new goalkeeper in the window or it's time for Plan B.
32

ip6blue added 17:11 - Dec 21
No doubt about it that’s a relegation performance from a championship team. No disrespect to anyone they have come along way these past few years and are still on the up in general. Think about playing that team against a top championship side and what the result would be and there you would have your answer as to where we are at the moment.

Not cut adrift yet by no means, good coach, good players in there already and a transfer window ahead so yep anything can happen.
13

Kickingblock added 17:13 - Dec 21
The nightmare before Christmas?
A goal for every hour of the drive back to Newcastle.
3

WonnorCickhamm added 17:13 - Dec 21
We were beaten by a much better team today, I can accept that. But we will never move forward as a team with our current goalkeeper. He is not right for us. You have to question why McKenna keeps picking him. His performances are unacceptable and consistently costs us points.
30

Bert added 17:16 - Dec 21
The least said the better !
5

Witneyblue added 17:16 - Dec 21
We take the kick off and 26 seconds later the ball is in our net, with starts like that and with a slow build up all the teams in the Premier will look forward to playing at Portman road
15

TimmyH added 17:17 - Dec 21
Disappointed but not surprised by todays defeat...really highlights our lack of attacking threat without Delap, too many like minded 'lightweight' players upfront and Hutch should have been out wide right (his best position)...saying that Newcastle were too good all over the pitch and their press was just too good for us and caused chaos for our defence. Personally I wouldn't mark any player for us over 6 today.

Unfortunately if our home form does not improve it will be the cause of our relegation.

Happy Xmas all and lets hope for a surprise in the coming games...
22

PinstripeBlue added 17:18 - Dec 21
How much we miss Delap, no outlet up front.
11

blueboy1981 added 17:22 - Dec 21
No More Words, other than, simply not good enough collectively for the Premiership !!
I predicted another Lesson today - we got it, but don’t learn !!
4

Suffolkboy added 17:23 - Dec 21
We cannot have truly expected ITFC to sustain absolute top form and fitness throughout ,a salutary defeat was always bound to occur. Now we must hope KM can build them up, restore belief , and encourage enthusiasm for the games ahead .We simply must not let head's droop ,or spirits sink ,nor stamina suffer ,but gird the loins for what’s ahead !
Whatever occurs, we have a team and squad at ITFC ,alongside a magnificent backing staff who are steadily taking us back to the top echelons .
COYB
14

therein61 added 17:26 - Dec 21
That performance was like the weather p1ss poor and wretched Newcastle outclassed us we have to get better and soon otherwise it's going to be a long drawn out season.
A merry Christmas to all contributors and their families stay fit and healthy in 2025.
9

grow_our_own added 17:26 - Dec 21
I've been a critic of Muric this season, but none of the goals were his fault today. The third was 100% on Cajuste, who Muric had every right to expect would play a simple bounce pass to a full-back. This is McKennaball.

Muric didn't have a great game, and the toon header that bounced over the bar would have been on him, because Burgess was screaming at him to come off his line and collect it moments before. But I feel some fans are on a witch hunt for Muric every goal we concede at the moment.

AAH should have started. First game in > 3 years we've not started with a target man up front. Toon knew we'd always play short, and swarmed us every time. No second dimension, and we looked clueless.

But many players also had shockers today. Bad day at the office all round. Onwards and upwards.
5

Town1Inter0 added 17:26 - Dec 21
This shows how stupid Delap’s yellow card last week was. At least he got a rest. As for our GK, we need a GK who can play comfortably out from the back, if we’re going to play that way. Anyone now how good Cieran Slicker is with his feet?
11

SpiritOfJohn added 17:27 - Dec 21
Two steps back after our win at Wolves. Newcastle too good for us today, but disappointed that some unforced errors crept back into our game, and we seemed to be deflated as soon as the inevitable VAR call went against us.
11

billlm added 17:30 - Dec 21
Over after 27 seconds I can imagine the team talk keep it tight first 20 I'm sure he would have meant minutes
8

StringerBell added 17:31 - Dec 21
Far too easy to simply blame Muric, simple fact is that we were outclassed and outplayed by a much better team. We have come so far so quickly that maybe survival at the top level might just be beyond us. But let’s not forget the amazing journey and where we are compared to those dark dark days under Evans.
15

bradforblues added 17:31 - Dec 21
They were much better and I can live with that. This result doesn't decide anything but what I can't understand is why a keeper refuses to hoof it when there's just a minute to go before half time and still a slim chance of a comeback.
Secondly, with SS upfront we could never clear the ball as he won't hold it up. Ali should have stater then you have that option. Think McKenna got it wrong there.
Two more tough ones coming up then let's regroup and pick up enough points to survive next year.
7

johnwarksshorts added 17:33 - Dec 21
From the first minute to the last we were very poor. Most games this season we have competed, but today we were 2nd best all over the pitch. Let's hope this is a one off. It was like the first goal totally deflated us. Need reinforcements in January.
10

martin587 added 17:33 - Dec 21
Only one change from last week so yes it is worrying how easily Newcastle took us apart but let’s be honest they are a very good side hitting form at the right time.We are in a league of our own ie the bottom six and these are the teams we must beat to stand any chance of remaining in the premier league next season.The difference in class was very clear to see.We tried but unfortunately we are nowhere near good enough and unless we don’t strengthen the squad in January it’s going to be extremely difficult to I fear avoid the drop.I do worry how bad we are playing out from the back and the keepers distribution is woeful at times.I hate to criticize my players but I do feel it is time to think about a few changes and I’m sure we can all guess where.Enough said so move on to the next two games and fingers crossed luck be on our side.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL and all the staff at TWTD
13

chepstowblue added 17:35 - Dec 21
A chastening experience. As comprehensively outplayed as we've been this season. A slight glimmer of hope is replaced by another massive dollop of reality. Even before the conceding of another calamitous goal, this game was over. They were very impressive.
11

runningout added 17:36 - Dec 21
as fans we were poor too
5

bluebullet29l added 17:36 - Dec 21
Men against boys im afraid and our over reliance on one player shows our weakness. Forget the next two games...nil points.
6

johnwarksshorts added 17:36 - Dec 21
On a happier note...Budgies Lost.
5

gkroon89 added 17:37 - Dec 21
I don’t think the set up was correct personally.

Newcastle’s strengths are the two attacking wingers and the playmaker in midfield. We should have packed out the defence and midfield. The stubbornness with the 4-2-3-1 is getting a bit concerning. Teams in the top 8/top half, we need to try and counteract their strengths, but we don’t seem to do that.

4-2-3-1 leaves our defence exposed and our central midfield too open especially when Leif is that high.

Not mentioning a players name as I get told off on here.

Need a strong hold ip striker in reserve in January please.
10

oioihardy added 17:41 - Dec 21
Fair play newcastle, they were just better .

Not gonna bash our boys too much as that game was literally just newcastle showing their class

BUT add another to the muric reels of mistakes .... reckon we will have about 20-25 mistakes now. Ges a goal keeper he can see the pitch ... He can SEE someone is closing down Jens. Just don't pass it to him .....

I feel like we need 3 in midfield. And if I'm honest I think we drop morsy as much as it pains me to say it ... hes not athletic enough ... you have philips , cajuste and taylor in a 3 and that has energy and legs there

Then bring morsy on when Jens tires ....

Over all though I went into that game thinking we wouldn't win if im being a level headed football fan and saw newcastle were 11th and thinking it's a bit of a false position for them in 11th and we lost to a team with some real quality there .

On to the next one

Ps thought burns had a decent first half , he looked more direct and tried to keep putting balls in the box so fair play burns
5


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