Burnley’s hopes of a great escape took a huge blow as they were hammered 4-1 by a rampant Newcastle United at Turf Moor.
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Having gone unbeaten in three Premier League matches heading into Saturday’s encounter, Burnley had hoped to leapfrog Luton Town – who drew with Everton on Friday – into 18th.
Yet their safety hopes are now dangling by a thread after Newcastle turned on the style – Callum Wilson, Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes sending Eddie Howe’s side into a three-goal lead by half-time.
Alexander Isak atoned for a penalty miss by scoring his 20th league goal of the season early in the second half, with Dara O’Shea grabbing a late consolation for Burnley.
Burnley, who face Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest in their final two matches, are two points behind 18th-placed Luton, who themselves are three behind 17th-placed Forest, and Vincent Kompany cut a glum figure on the touchline.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
37 | -19 | 29 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
37 | -31 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
37 | -36 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
37 | -66 | 16 |
How the match unfolded
It was not all plain sailing for Newcastle – goalkeeper Martin Dubravka had to be alert early on to smother an attempt from Jacob Bruun Larsen, before Lorenz Assignon had a penalty appeal turned down after his weaving run was halted by Guimaraes.
Yet Newcastle hit the front after 19 minutes, with Wilson on hand to tap home after Arijanet Muric denied Isak from point-blank range.
Muric made a fantastic stop to deny Tino Livramento, but Burnley’s goalkeeper could do nothing to prevent Newcastle doubling their lead when Jacob Murphy’s cutback was slotted into the bottom corner by Longstaff.
The contest was all but over five minutes before the break – Assignon’s error resulting in Anthony Gordon teeing up Guimaraes for a straightforward finish from just inside the box.
Lyle Foster lashed over at the end of a promising Burnley move as the Clarets searched for a swift response after the break, though their defensive frailties were soon exposed again.
Josh Brownhill foolishly tugged on Gordon’s shirt as the winger drove into Burnley’s box from the left, and referee Anthony Taylor duly pointed to the spot.
Muric made a fine save to thwart Isak, with play eventually continuing after a VAR check for possible encroachment.
Once proceedings did resume, Isak got his goal, coolly firing in after he was picked out by Murphy to complete the rout as the Magpies moved above Manchester United into sixth place.
Newcastle host Brighton & Hove Albion next before taking on Manchester United in what looks set to be a pivotal encounter in the hunt for UEFA Europa League qualification.
Wilson returns in style
Handed a rare start alongside Isak, the former AFC Bournemouth man was excellent in leading Newcastle’s line and tormenting Burnley’s defence. He was in the right place at the right time to open the scoring, and also played a crucial role in the visitors’ second, when he held up the play before releasing the onrushing Murphy.
Wilson's goal was his 47th Premier League goal for Newcastle, meaning he is second only to the legendary Alan Shearer (148 goals) when it comes to the Magpies’ goalscorers in the competition.
A mention for Gordon, too. He has become the third Newcastle player to register double figures for both goals and assists in a single Premier League campaign, after Andrew Cole in 1993/94 (34 goals, 13 assists) and Ruel Fox in 1994/95 (10 goals, 11 assists).
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
37 | +20 | 68 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
37 | +10 | 63 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
37 | +13 | 60 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
37 | +21 | 57 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
37 | -3 | 57 |
With Forest having claimed a big win over Sheffield United, it looks increasingly likely that the three promoted teams are all heading straight back down to the Championship.
Club reports
Burnley report | Newcastle report
Final Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Burnley have now lost each of their last six league meetings with Newcastle, only against Wolves (10 matches in August 2002), Manchester City (10 matches in January 2024) and Arsenal (10 matches in August 2019 and seven matches in April 1971) have they endured longer such runs in the Football League.
In a Premier League season, only Andrew Johnson in 2004/05 (eight) and Jamie Vardy in 2015/16 (seven) have won more penalties than Anthony Gordon in 2023/24 (six). Indeed, only Rob Lee (seven) has won more penalties in the competition’s history for Newcastle than Gordon’s six.
Isak is the first Newcastle player to score 20 goals in a Premier League season since Alan Shearer in 2002/03 (22), while he’s now scored 30 goals in 49 encounters for them in the competition, becoming just the 10th player to do so in under 50 games.
Wilson is now Newcastle’s second-highest scorer outright in the Premier League with 47 goals, while only against West Ham (12) and Everton (eight) does he have more goals in the competition than against Burnley (six).