Newcastle United took another step towards challenging for a place in the top five in the Premier League by beating Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Monday night.
The Magpies moved up to fifth in the division, having still played a game fewer than Chelsea and Manchester City, as they look to secure Champions League football for next season.
Eddie Howe’s side found themselves 2-0 up inside the opening 11 minutes, scoring after just two minutes, and one of the stars of the show was winger Jacob Murphy, who was heavily involved in the early blitz.
Jacob Murphy's performance against Leicester
The English forward, who is yet to be capped by the Three Lions, brilliantly timed his run to the back post to get on the end of Tino Livramento’s cross after just two minutes, tapping the ball into a virtually empty net.
Murphy quickly added to his and Newcastle’s tally nine minutes later when he was the only one to follow up on Fabian Schar’s long drive that hit the crossbar, giving the winger all the time in the world to control the ball and slot past Mads Hermansen.
The former Norwich City sensation was unable to complete the first hat-trick of his Magpies career, unfortunately, but it was his two goals that gave his team control of the match early on, leading to a fairly comfortable evening for Howe’s men.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Murphy, who did not create any chances for his teammates, was not the only top performer on the night. Fabian Schar was just as good as the winger and proved that he is as undroppable as Alexander Isak.
Why Schar is as undroppable as Isak
Firstly, Isak is, clearly, undroppable for Newcastle because of the quality he has provided on a consistent basis at the top end of the pitch, scoring 20 goals and providing five assists in 27 appearances in the Premier League.
The Swedish star is the main man in the final third, making him crucial to what the Magpies want to do in attack, whilst Schar has been a consistent presence in defence, helping to provide a solid platform for the team to build from.
So far this season, the Swiss titan has started 25 of his 26 appearances in the Premier League and made 2.4 tackles and interceptions per game, along with 4.2 ball recoveries per match.
Schar, who earned a player rating of 8/10 from the Shields Gazette, provided another reminder of the quality he can offer at centre-back in the win over Leicester, further proving that he is undroppable.
Minutes
90
Clearances
3
Blocks
1
Tackles + interceptions
3
Dribbled past
0x
Duels won
4/6
Pass accuracy
85%
Long ball accuracy
5/11
As you can see in the table above, the long-serving defensive colossus was dominant out of possession to cut out Leicester attacks, whilst also being reliable in possession of the ball.
It was his strong challenge and sensational effort from long range that created the second goal for Murphy, which perfectly summed up the qualities he can offer on both sides of the game.
Newcastle now open talks to sign 20-goal striker who once owned Lascelles
He could form quite the partnership with Isak…
ByTom CunninghamMar 26, 2025
Schar was as good as Murphy, due to his strong defending to keep a clean sheet and his involvement in the second goal, and Howe must continue to select the impressive defender from now until the end of the season.