First half blitz offers Newcastle thrilling 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest

Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes celebrates after the match
| Photograph Credit score: Reuters

Newcastle United scored 4 targets in 11 first-half minutes to maintain alive their Champions League qualification hopes with an exhilarating 4-3 victory over Nottingham Forest at St James’ Park on Sunday (February 23, 2025) however needed to maintain on below heavy stress within the second interval.

Newcastle moved into fifth place with 44 factors from 26 video games, outdoors the highest 4 on objective distinction solely. Excessive-flying Forest misplaced for the second week in a row however stay in third with 47 factors from the identical variety of matches.

Forest led early via Callum Hudson-Odoi’s long-range strike however Newcastle roared into life with 4 fast targets from 18-year-old Lewis Miley, Jacob Murphy and a brace from Alexander Isak, the primary a penalty, which gave them a 4-1 halftime lead.

Forest had been the higher facet within the second interval and created quite a few possibilities towards a nervous house group, as Nikola Milenkovic netted and a late objective by Ryan Yates virtually earned the guests what would have been a deserved level.

“It was a superb first half, the response after conceding was actually good,” Isak informed SkySports. “We dropped a bit second half and conceded sloppy targets. I am clearly completely satisfied to win the sport.

“A very powerful factor was to win. We wish to win extra comfortably but it surely was an enormous win.”

It was the proverbial sport of two halves, with Newcastle totally dominant within the first however then meek within the second.

The house facet had 5 pictures on the right track within the first half and none within the second in a efficiency that may give supervisor Eddie Howe loads of meals for thought regardless of the three factors.

Forest led inside six minutes when Hudson-Odoi drilled a low shot from 30 metres into the underside left nook, earlier than Newcastle seized management with a objective blitz that began halfway via the primary half.

Miley was picked out in acres of area within the penalty field and fired low into the online, earlier than the house facet went forward when Murphy bundled within the ball on the again submit off his thigh.

Newcastle acquired a penalty when Lewis Corridor’s cross from the left struck the arm of leaping Forest defender Ola Aina, which was deemed to be in an unnatural place.

Isak went down the center along with his spot kick and whereas Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels acquired a robust hand to it, he couldn’t preserve out the ball.

The house facet added a fourth with Isak scoring his fiftieth Premier League objective in his 76th look. He timed his run into the field to perfection and his shot deflected into the online off the boot of a defender.

Newcastle virtually scored a fifth early within the second half when Fabian Schaer’s header from a nook got here again off the submit.

However the hosts inexplicably fell off the tempo after that and Forest created likelihood after likelihood till Milenkovic flicked the ball into the online from shut vary.

Yates fired in a 3rd for the guests because the clock struck 90 minutes however they might not power an equaliser in harm time.