Newcastle Strengthen Champions League Push As Ipswich Relegation Confirmed
Ipswich Town’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed after Newcastle United secured a convincing 3-0 victory at St James’ Park.
Ipswich entered the match needing to beat the Magpies and hope West Ham suffered defeat at Brighton to keep their faint survival hopes alive. However, their task became much harder late in the first half when Ben Johnson was dismissed for a second bookable offence.
Newcastle had an earlier goal from Bruno Guimarães disallowed for a foul on Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer, but Alexander Isak eventually broke the deadlock deep into first-half stoppage time. Following a pitchside review by referee Michael Salisbury, a penalty was awarded and coolly converted by Isak, lifting him above Erling Haaland into second place in the Premier League scoring charts.
The home side doubled their lead ten minutes after the restart, with Dan Burn heading in Kieran Trippier’s looping cross from close range. Substitute Will Osula added a third late on, nodding home his first Premier League goal to complete a resounding win for Eddie Howe’s side, as the manager made a successful return to the dugout after a bout of pneumonia.
Ipswich’s defeat means that, for the first time in Premier League history, all relegations have been confirmed with as many as four games still remaining.
Johnson’s Dismissal Turns the Tide
For Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna and his team, relegation had long seemed inevitable. Their hopes suffered a significant blow earlier this month with a 2-1 defeat to Wolves, and they have continued to lose ground since.
Against Newcastle, Ipswich matched their hosts for long periods of the first half. However, Johnson’s sending-off – coming just seven minutes after his first yellow card for simulation – changed the course of the match. He became the fifth Ipswich player to receive a red card this season, with only Arsenal accumulating more.
Newcastle turned up the pressure after the dismissal, with Luke Woolfenden clearing a Guimarães effort off the line and Sandro Tonali striking the crossbar. Isak’s composed penalty, following Julio Enciso’s foul on Jacob Murphy, put the home side in command just before the break.
Despite some spirited defending, Ipswich rarely threatened in the second half, and Newcastle’s dominance eventually told.
Isak Surpasses Haaland As Newcastle Eye Europe
Isak’s 22nd Premier League goal of the season moved him ahead of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and behind only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah. It is the highest top-flight tally by a Newcastle player since Alan Shearer hit the same number in the 2003–04 campaign.
Prior to his goal, Isak had struggled to find his range, heading over from a Harvey Barnes cross and volleying another opportunity over the bar. However, his crucial penalty settled the nerves of the home supporters.
Trippier, instrumental throughout, produced another fine cross for Burn’s first Premier League goal of the season, before delivering again for Osula to score Newcastle’s third.
The afternoon ended on an even more positive note with the return of Sven Botman, who made his first league appearance since January after recovering from a knee injury.
Newcastle’s victory moves them up to third in the table, two points clear of sixth place, although a testing run-in awaits with fixtures against Brighton, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Everton still to come in May.