Eddie Howe served up a tactical masterclass at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon as his side swept away Tottenham Hotspur in a style that this fixture has come to expect of late; while the Spurs head coach was left to wonder whether their performance was really as bad as the colour of their kit suggested.
 
Goals from Alexander Isak (2), Anthony Gordon and Fabien Schar will grab the headlines, as will the manner of the victory but it was on the tactics board that Howe dominated the latest media darling of the premier league, Spurs antipodean head coach Ange Postecoglou.
 
With multiple treatment tables now occupied by the walking wounded at Darsley Park, some may say that Howe had no option but to ring the tactical change bell given the personnel he couldn’t call upon, but Howe has rarely deviated from his preferred 4:3:3 formation all season and when he has, the success rate has not been high.
 
However, with a lack of fully fit fullbacks on both flanks and the availability of some pace and athleticism in the midfield area and upfront Howe opted to play a 3:4:3 formation with Murphy and Anderson providing support both defensively and in more advanced positions when in possession Newcastle had two capable athletes who adapted well to the role. 
 
And with Dan Burn playing on the left side of the back three and Emil Krafth on the right; both players knew that they could rely on the support of Anderson and Murphy respectively when needed.
 
Sean Longstaff was given the task of tracking an ever more frustrated James Maddison in an almost man for man role that seemed to suit his game far better than the sit and hold role that he has been accustomed to of late and with Bruno Guimarães freed up to just keep the ball moving and unleashing the ever-dangerous attacking force of Gordon Isak and Barnes Howe figured that he had the right blend to match up to Postecoglou’s resurgent Spurs side and boy was he right.
 
On a day when the possession stats counted for little, Newcastle set about pressing Spurs whenever they had possession while remaining in a shape that frustrated and bewildered the North Londoners; Howe’s team simply swatted away anything their opponents had to offer – which quite frankly was little – while producing some scintillating attacking play matched by clinical finishing.
 
And there were so many positives from a Newcastle point of view to take out of the game. 
 
Bruno produced another assured performance to not only orchestrate matters but also defy the odds by avoiding the dreaded 10th booking that would have brought a two-match suspension – a tightrope he has walked for the past 11 league games. The Brazilian is unplayable when he is in this sort of form and his sublime skills are now being matched with a mature presence on the field and Eddie Howe and his backroom team must be delighted by that. He is simply irreplaceable in this set up that Howe has created.
 
Elliott Anderson must also be singled out for praise having slotted into the team at a time when his strength and determination has been sorely needed following his extended lay off with a back injury. Anderson is a special talent and someone that hopefully has a huge future at the club and will become a regular feature in seasons to come. His work rate yesterday and the way be linked up on the left with Harvey Barnes was a joy to watch and with Barnes showing that he too has strength and power to track that left hand side both in an attacking and defensive sense and the positives of this partnership were duly noted by the watching faithful.
 
And let’s not forget about Isak and Gordon. Their pace gave the Spurs defenders an afternoon they will soon want to forget. Romero and van De Ven in particular were made to look ordinary as they were turned inside out by the attacking duo; and it is more good luck than good management that the scoreline didn’t benefit the two wearing the black and white stripes even more.
 
Also deserving of a shout out is Fabien Schar who scored a fine header from a corner in the 87th minute to round off a great day and banish the personal disappointment of last weekend’s goal that he had chalked off by a ridiculous VAR decision.  
 
Speaking after the game Eddie Howe reflected on a fine performance saying: "Tottenham are unique in what they do, and we felt we needed to change to give ourselves the best chance of what we wanted to do. I thought tactically it worked, it was a really good delivery from the players, they always deserve the praise for the execution. Our concentration levels were really good."
 
Howe also singled out Elliott Anderson after the game: "I think the emergence of some of the players people wouldn't have thought would have played will hopefully serve us well for the next few years. Elliott Anderson was excellent; he's been trying to burst into the team and stay in the team."
 
Spurs Head Coach Ange Postecoglou meanwhile has been playing play down the expectation of Champions League football at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next season and with fixtures to come against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City, then perhaps he is on to something!
 
And finally, a huge shout out to our main sponsors Sela, who handed over shirt sponsorship for the game to the RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf) to promote the support it provides to those in the community with hearing loss or impediment.
in support of the charity Sela produced a home shirt to be worn by deaf supporters that incorporated haptic technology to allows the wearer to experience through feelings and sensors the atmosphere being generated through what they see happening on the pitch and feel part of the occasion inside the ground like never before.
 
Such new technology can only improve the matchday experience for supporters with hearing impediment and Sela says that it hopes that its actions will inspire football clubs across the Premier League to improve accessibility. Well done all.

Newcastle Utd are back in home action on Saturday lunchtime when they face Tottenham Hotspurs in a fixture that could go a long way to defining what we can expect in the run in towards the season finale with European places up for grabs.
 
Newcastle currently sit in 8th place, thirteen points adrift from Spurs in 4th and separated with Aston Villa, Man Utd and West Ham currently sitting in berths that offer the possibility of European football next season. 
 
Thirteen points may seem to wide a gap to bridge with only seven games left but when you drill down and see that Spurs still have to face off against, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City, a chink of light for those below them starts to appear.
 
That is why, in some quarters the more optimistic are looking at this fixture as a six pointer for the magpies and a springboard to go into their final six games with something to chase and plenty to play for.
 
Howe’s injury table gained a couple of new squatters in the shape of Lewis Hall and Joe Willock this week and he didn’t sound too optimistic that either player would be available for selection. 
 
And speaking to the press on Friday Howe had this to say regarding Willock: "Joe has been to see another specialist to check on the progress of his Achilles which has been problematic for him. It's been a difficult injury as there has been a few complications.
 
"The feedback was positive generally in respect that it is healing. But it will fluctuate from time to time. There will be moments it won't feel so good.”
 
"For Tottenham, I probably think he won't be available. There's a chance he will be available for the rest of the season but that is unclear. We need to make sure the long-term prognosis is positive and that might mean a short period of rest."
 
Howe also addressed the absence of Lewis Hall saying: "Lewis has a tightness in his quad. No muscle pull directly but enough to see him miss training this week. He's a doubt for the game."
 
With these two adding to the long-term absentees Howe really is down to the bare bones and may be forced to call on young Alex Murphy as defensive cover. Murphy was on the bench last weekend against Fulham but was not called upon, as Howe opted for the experience of Paul Dummett when replacing the injured Hall in the dying minutes as Newcastle saw out the final few minutes of the game. 
 
However, Howe may see the youngster as a better option to counter the pace of Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson who operate on the wide berths, feeding passes into Spurs main striker Son Heung-min and the deeper lying James Maddison.
 
Another change from last weekend could see Howe unleash £145m worth of talent in the form of Barnes, Isak and Gordon from the start, rather than holding Barnes back as an option from the bench.
 
Sadly for him there will be no return for former magpie Fraser Forster this time round as he is ruled out through injury; as too is Ryan Sessegnon. 
 
The match Referee is Tim Robinson, and his Assistants are Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn. Fourth official is Oliver Langford and the VAR officials this week are Stuart Attwell and his assistant Sian Massey-Ellis.
 
And for anyone interested in stats, heat maps, kilometers ran and passes and tackles completed, there is an interesting piece on the premier league website that focusses on Bruno Guimarães and why he is one of the league’s best all-round midfielders. 
You can find it here - https://www.premierleague.com/news/3961571
 
 And remember; its a 12:30pm KO 

In terms of European competition qualification Newcastle Utd find themselves featuring in another ‘six pointer’ when they face Tottenham Hotspur in the Saturday lunchtime 12:30pm kick off courtesy of TNT Sports.
 
Last weekend’s away win against Fulham, alongside the home win against West Ham Utd and the point gained – or was it two points dropped – against Everton, Eddie Howe’s squad now find themselves back in the fight, sitting in 8th place; thirteen points adrift from fourth and fifth place berths currently occupied by Tottenham and Aston Villa respectively. 
 
However, with only two points separating them from Manchester Utd and West Ham Utd, a European place remains well within touching distance.
 
So, for those who are starting to see the season as somewhat a failure after the high of finishing fourth and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League last season the message is; have patience and let’s see where the last seven games of the season take us.
 
Home fixtures follow against Sheffield Utd and Brighton while visits to Crystal Palace, Burnley, and a rearranged trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester Utd await Howe’s squad before the season comes to a conclusion when they face Brentford at the GTECH stadium.
 
Spurs still have to face Arsenal, Burnley and Manchester City at home and have visits to Chelsea and Liverpool and Sheffield Utd while Villa have visits to Arsenal, Brighton, and Palace as well as hosting Bournemouth, Chelsea, and Liverpool. 
 
West Ham Utd meanwhile face visits to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, and Manchester City and well as hosting Fulham, Liverpool, and Luton Town.
 
And when you add to the mix the fact that Villa and West Ham are both involved in conference and Europa league games respectively – Villa face a quarter final tie against French side Lille while West Ham come up against runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen in their quarter final Europa league tie - additional games for both teams could well be a possibility.
 
So, there is a lot of football to be played between now and May 19th to keep Newcastle supporters engaged before the final premier league positions are known and next season’s European places allocated. 

Saturday afternoon provided another successful return for Newcastle Utd as they came away with all three points in the proverbial game of two halves.
 
Craven Cottage has proved to be a happy hunting ground for the Magpies in recent times and those happy times continued with a Bruno Guimarães goal separating the two teams and ensuring that his and the Magpies hopes of European football remain alive heading into the last seven games of the season.
 
But it could have been oh so different if Fulham been able to exploit the slick and decisive football they displayed in the first 30 minutes and in doing so taken some of the chances they created.
 
Willian, Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Muniz all had an opportunity to put their side ahead as Newcastle simply couldn’t get into the game. Top scorer Muniz in particular should have done better when presented with a clear chance, but he fired his effort straight at Magpies keeper Martin Dubravka. And the best chance of all fell to Paulinho who fired wide from six yards.
 
The first thirty minutes were one that Eddie Howe will want to forget as his team simply couldn’t get into the game but as Fulham failed to take advantage of their possession Newcastle started to warm to the game. In Anthony Gordon Newcastle have a player who is always looking to get involved and his enthusiasm certainly rubs  off on his teammates; and encouraged by Howe and his assistant Jason Tindall on the touchline he started to be more influential and came close to opening the scoring with a 20-yard drive that whistled inches wide.
 
However, the constant this season is that Howe would be forced to make changes and Howe had to do just that on 40 minutes when Joe Willock limped out to be replaced by Elliott Anderson. And with Martin Dubravka being involved in two incidents that required him to receive treatment from Newcastle’s over worked physios Howe must have been wondering if the coach driver might have run over a black cat on the way to the ground such is our ill luck on the injury front. 
Thankfully Dubravka was able to continue, and Karius returned to his seat in the dugout having spent an extended period warming up on the touchline.
 
With those first 30 minutes fresh in his mind there is no question that Howe let his team know exactly what he thought about their performance so far and whether a half time rollicking was delivered, one was certainly in order, and it was a different Newcastle team that stepped out in the second half and started to take control.
 
Newcastle thought they had taken the lead when Fabien Schar fired home from an acute angle only for the VAR official to insist the referee conduct a review as they scoured the playback tape for any kind of infringement and lo and behold, they spotted an apparent push by Dan Burn in the build up to Schar’s well taken effort. 
 
But there was nothing wrong with Newcastle’s build up or finish on 81 minutes, when Guimarães finished off a fine move involving Anderson and substitute Harvey Barnes, who replaced Jacob Murphy in the 65th minute.
 
In Guimarães Newcastle have a constantly sparkling diamond and his goal capped another fine performance on his 100th outing for the magpies and it was fitting that the Brazilian marked the occasion with a goal and the player of the match award.
 
As they ran down the clock the Lewis Hall was replaced by Paul Dummett for what looked more like fatigue than injury while Matt Ritchie came on to help run down the clock further; something that Fulham boss Marco Silva was not happy about, but the travelling Newcastle supporters were all behind!
 
The game saw bookings for Emil Krafth and Sean Longstaff but not Guimarães who now only has to see out next weekends fixture against Tottenham without receiving a yellow card to avoid a two-match ban.
 
Speaking after the game Eddie Howe described the victory as one of our “best wins of the season.”
 
He gave a short update on the injury sustained by Joe Willock, saying: “Joe’s still feeling his achilles. He has been feeling this problem for some time now. We hoped that he would steadily improve. Today was a down day for him and he did not look right and unable to continue”.
 
“I don’t think he was in huge pain, but it was enough for him to not be at his very best. So, we made a change, and I thought Elliot Anderson did well. Harvey Barnes did well and the subs who came on and did well at the end. It was a huge performance from those who were fit.”
 
Howe also addressed the message he tried to get through to his players while Dubravka was down receiving treatment and in doing so gave an indication of exactly how his half time must have gone, saying: “I can’t repeat what I said but we just needed to wake up. In this game, in the Premier League, the ruthlessness of teams, if you are off it you will be punished. We were lucky to still be in the game at half time”.

It’s a trip down the Old Kings Road for Newcastle Utd on Saturday afternoon as they make their second visit of 2024 to Craven Cottage; the first being their fourth round cup win back in January where they triumphed 2:0 courtesy of goals from Sean Longstaff and Dan Burn.
 
Newcastle also triumphed 3:0 in the home league win, with Burn once again on the scoresheet against his former club along with Miguel Almiron and Lewis Miley. However, while Burn is in the travelling squad, Miley and Almiron miss out through injury as does Tino Livramento who has joined a long list of absentees.
 
On the plus side, Anthony Gordon returns to the squad after missing out against Everton due to suspension.
And speaking to the press ahead of heading down to London Howe had some positive news on Lewis Hall who didn’t complete 90 minutes on Tuesday Night. Hall’s withdrawal was down to fatigue rather than a specific injury and Howe said: “We hope he's fine and he'll be back training today. We anticipate he'll be part of that group”.
 
Howe also confirmed the absence of Livramento and Almiron, stating: “Tino's was quite obvious when you looked back at the footage. Strange really as the ball hits his ankle before it hits the floor. Thankfully it's not as serious as it could have been. He could be back quite quickly.
Miggy tweaked his knee slightly. Again, not a serious injury but enough to keep him out”.
 
Pressed on the loss of club captain Jamaal Lascelles Howe said: it’s a “Big blow for us and Jamaal. He's been excellent this season. Behind the scenes he's been a real leader for our team. I feel for him because he's been in really good shape this year and looked really good. He's came together with Antonio and unfortunately ended up with a serious injury.
Initially it's always difficult to accept. One minute you're in the team, the next you've got a long period of rehab. He'll have low moments during that long stretch, but he's got a good team of people around him and Sven who is in a very similar position”.
 
And Howe had high praise for Dan Burn, who replaced Lascelles in central defence and wore the captain’s armband in his and Trippier’s absence. “I liked a lot about his performance against Everton. Aerially he's a big presence but he did well against two tough opponents at Everton. Dan's leadership is second to none and when he comes inside he can help the team vocally”.
 
Howe also had high praise for his top scorer Alexander Isak saying: When you’ve got any of your attacking players in the form he’s in I think it transforms through the team. He’s in a really good place and it’s great to see him in the type of form he is in. He deserves a lot of credit for how he’s played this year. He’s an exceptional talent and I hope he can get even better from this point - I think there’s more to come from him”.
 
Fulham manager Marco Silva meanwhile should have a fully fit squad to choose from.
 
As stats go, Fulham have won only one of the last 10 meetings between the two clubs and failed to score in seven of those games while Fulham manager Marco Silva has won only one of his seven matches as a manager against Newcastle in all competitions, losing each of the past five.
 
However, Fulham have nine top-flight home victories from their 15 home games this season, together with one draw and five defeats. Newcastle Utd meanwhile have only won away from home three times this season from the 14 Premier League away games played. That is three times as many defeats as they suffered in the whole of last season.
 
The match referee is Sam Allison, and his assistants are Eddie Smart and Nick Greenhalgh. The Fourth official is Simon Hooper, and the VAR is under the control of Jarred Gillett assisted by Darren Cann.
 
On a side note, Fulham’s long serving Club Chaplain, Gary Piper, will be presented with the Forever Fulham award at half-time.

On a dreary rain sodden night on Tyneside Newcastle Utd failed to hold out for the three points  having led since the 15th minute through Alexander Isak’s nineteenth goal of the season as Everton came from behind to snatch a late equaliser
 
The opening goal came in the fifteenth minute courtesy of a fine pass by Harvey Barnes who was starting for the suspended Anthony Gordon and while the pass set up the goal, the Swedish International still had a bit of work to do, before gliding past the challenge of Jarred Branthwaite and placing the ball past the diving Jordan Pickford and into the bottom corner.
 
And it could have been more, but for England keeper and pantomime villain Pickford making two excellent saves – the first to block a fine Jacob Murphy's volley and then tipping over a powerful effort from Isak; having blocked an earlier effort by Barnes prior to Isak’s opener.
 
Pickford’s every touch brought up a cacophony of booing from all corners of the ground as the former Sunderland keeper swaggered and strutted like a demented peacock whenever the opportunity presented itself; be it taking free kicks from the halfway line or gyrating an exaggerated pose at corners, goal kicks or simply whenever it took his fancy. The only thing missing from his staged performance was him sitting astride the crossbar but no doubt the buffoon is working on that for future appearances in front of the Gallowgate!
 
The second half started very much like the first and after substitute James Garner saw his effort come back off the inside of the post  hitting for Everton, Newcastle thought they had their second, when a quickly taken free-kick released Isak, who crossed for Dan Burn to convert, only for the goal to be ruled out after a long and laborious wait for the VAR review to be completed; resulting in Isak being deemed to be narrowly offside.
 
Newcastle continued to press, only to see Isak have an effort cleared off the line and Guimarães have a great effort tipped over before Everton’s lifeline came in the 86th minute when having ignored Everton’s claim for a penalty referee Harrington allowed a long passage of play to continue before the VAR official signaled that he needed to review his on pitch decision and take a look at the pitch side monitor. In going so, Harrington decided that Dummett, on as a late substitute for Lewis Hall was deemed to have impeded Ashley Young courtesy of a stray arm around Young’s neck before the pair fell to the ground. The penalty was given, and Calvert Lewin fired home for Everton to bring the scores level.
 
With nine minutes of time added on Newcastle searched in vain for a winner, while Everton resorted to tactics more akin to WWE on more than one occasion as a combination of throws, pulls, trips and physical blocks impeded Newcastle’s ever more frustrated team.
 
The penalty area in such situations seems to be deemed a no-go zone for referees to see anything untoward happening as time and time again shirt pulling and barging take precedence and challenges which if made outside the penalty would almost certainly result in a free kick, seem to be given impunity from any scrutiny. Which leads you to question what aspect of the game the VAR official sees the need to get involved in and what do they consider part and parcel of the game. Perhaps someone needs to put that question to Howard Webb – are you listening Michael Owen?
 
Some will view this game as a missed opportunity for Newcastle to take all three points but given the injuries and suspensions this squad is carrying; it would be harsh to criticise the team that Howe put out for their effort.
 
Evertonians meanwhile will be delighted with the point and while this was their 13th successive Premier League match without a win, having not won in the league since a 2-0 victory at Burnley on 16 December they will be hoping that this hard earned one point can become four when they face off against fellow strugglers Burnley at Goodison Park in the return fixture on Saturday afternoon,
 

Eddie Howe will need to hold a roll call to establish exactly who he has fit enough to cross the line tonight to face Everton at St James’ Park following the extraordinary events that occurred on Saturday afternoon.
 
Already without Pope, Wilson, Joelinton, Miley, Botman, Tripper, Targett and the suspended Sandro Tonali; Saturday’s encounter saw Jamaal Lascelles limp off with a season ending ACL injury while Tino Livramento was withdrawn with what looked a serious ankle problem and Miguel Almiron who came on as a second half substitute before being withdrawn after only 11 minutes with a knee problem. 
 
Adding to Howe’s problems he is without Anthony Gordon who is suspended for one match following his late dismissal for two yellow cards.
 
Everton boss Sean Dyche meanwhile hopes to have Vitalii Mykolenko back after illness. However, Arnaut Danjuma and Lewis Dobbin again look set to miss out through injury.

Statistically wise Newcastle aim for a fourth successive home league win against Everton. After a run of just two victories in 15 league fixtures versus the Toffees, Newcastle have won five of the last seven. However, Everton are looking to complete their first league double over Newcastle since 2017-18.

However, Everton are on a dismal run of 12 Premier League matches without a win, which equals their club record. And ironically their only win in their last eight midweek Premier League matches was their 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season. Adding to their poor run, the Toffees have only scored twice in their previous seven away matches in all competitions.

Bruno Guimarães remains on the suspension tightrope, being one booking away from a two-match suspension; s position he has been in since mid-January, when he received his ninth booking in the fixture against Manchester City. A booking tonight would see the Brazilian miss the games against Fulham and Tottenham; but if he can see out all three games without picking up a yellow then he will escape punishment. 
​
In doing so that would be a run of 12 consecutive games without a booking: a miracle considering the combative nature of his game.

Speaking to the media ahead of tonight’s encounter Howe stated that Kieran Trippier could return to face Everton, saying "there is no problem with him and he is working his way back to fitness".
However, he did say that Tino Livramento, Emil Krafth and Miguel Almiron limping off the pitch on Saturday "is a huge concern". 

And on his disappointment at losing Anthony Gordon's suspension Howe said: "It’s a big blow. Naturally, from his perspective he will be absolutely devastated at missing the Everton game. For us we are going to miss a player that has been outstanding and consistent."

On the positive side however, he said the in-form wingers ban might "be a blessing in disguise long-term" because it "gives him a little rest" ahead of the run-in.

The referee for tonight’s encounter is Tony Harrington and his assistants are Scott Ledger and Sian Massey-Ellis. 
The Fourth official is Anthony Taylor, and the VAR officials are Michael Salisbury and Natalie Aspinall.

A quick reminder that tonight’s kick off is 7:30pm and the game is live on TNT Sports.

A brace from substitute Harvey Barnes capped off a remarkable comeback for Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon as they came from behind to beat West Ham United 4:3.
 
With Newcastle 3:1 down having led 1:0 after only 2 minutes courtesy of an Alexander Isak penalty following a foul on Anthony Gordon the revival started with the same combination of foul on Gordon and penalty dispatched by Isak although this one took over three minutes to be given as the VAR officials debated the connection of boot to calf courtesy of Kalvin Phillips as Gordon placed his leg between the committed Phillips and the ball. 
 
But things looked so different when first Antonio and then Kudos had put West Ham into a 2:1 lead before Bowen extended that lead straight after half time when he latched on to a clearance from a Newcastle corner and with the opposition committed, he was free to run on to a nice through ball by the ever-dangerous Kudos and slot the ball past a despairing Dubravka.
 
The disarray in the Newcastle defence was there for all to see from the 15th minute when Jamaal Lascelles went down clutching his knee and after lengthy treatment and an attempt to resume, Eddie Howe was forced to replace his captain and in doing so completely reshuffled his back four; with Emil Krafth coming on to take the right back berth, Tino Livramento switching the left back and Dan Burn moving to the left sided centreback slot and Fabien Schar moving over his favoured right side.
 
That disarray first saw Krafth inadvertently playing Antonio onside following a sublime through ball by Paqueta for west Ham’s first goal before Schar went down clutching his face following a clumsy challenge and while he lay there anticipating the referee’s reaction to stop the game while he received treatment; Paqueta took a quick free kick which the referee allowed, and an unprepared Newcastle found themselves two down as Kudos slotted home past Dubravka.
 
Referee Rob Jones was on the receiving end of the home crowd’s fury but really Newcastle had only themselves to blame with Willock, Longstaff and Guimarães seemingly having a collective bout of amnesia while their defensive colleagues stood watching their prostrate colleague lying on the turf.
 
At 3:1 Eddie Howe was forced to make changes in the hope of trying to bring some energy into his flagging and lacklustre team and hi did so with a triple substitution, bringing on Miguel Almiron, Elliot Anderson, and Lewis Hall for Krafth, Willock and the injured Livramento, only for Almiron to last ten minutes before he too went down clutching his knee; forcing Howe to bring on Barnes.
 
With Newcastle now chasing the game Isak’s second penalty on 73 minutes kick started the revival and from that moment there looked like only one outcome as Newcastle took command, backing by a cacophony of Geordie voices as they mounted wave after wave of attacks on the West Ham back line with the Hammers unable to hold on to the ball with any meaningful effect. 
 
Barnes first goal on 83 minutes was set up from a beautiful through ball by Isak whose quick turn and pass split the now ponderous West Ham defensive line and Barnes raced on to fire the ball past substitute goalkeeper Fabianski who had replaced the injured areola at half time. 
 
And the winner came in the 90th minute after some fine hold up play on the left by Gordon before he played the ball inside to Barnes. The former Leicester City man still had a lot to do but with a simple sidestep he created enough time and space to measure his shot before firing past Fabianski and into the bottom corner. St James’ Park erupted like only St James’ Park can in moments like this as Barnes raced to the corner before being swamped by teammates and fans alike!
 
It was a sweet moment for a player who has struggled through injury to make an impact since joining the club in the summer.
 
And despite all that had gone before there was still time for Anthony Gordon to be sent off for a second yellow card having tapped the ball away after conceding a free kick, while Eddie Howe received the first yellow card of his managerial career for getting carried away in the moment and celebrating the winner in a manner that the fourth official deemed inappropriate.
 
Newcastle saw out the final eight minutes of added on time without West Ham threatening an equaliser and took all three points on a crazy afternoon that became even crazier when Biffa at the wonderful nufc.com informed all that this comeback from 3:1 down to win 4:3 mirrored that of another famous comeback in 1997 against Leicester City with the final three goals also coming in the 77th, 83rd and 90th minutes courtesy of an Alan Shearer hattrick. Newcastle also led 1:0 in that game through Robbie Elliott, who scored on three minutes.
 
Speaking after the match to BBC’s match of the Day, Harvey Barnes said "They are the moments I have missed so much.
"For me, I miss that feeling of being out there, and when I am I want to make up for lost time, and today was a great step forward with that.
"You can't really describe those feelings sometimes, so late on in the game, and then after that it was just hoping we can hold on to the result and get the three points and we did that."
While Eddie Howe had this to say about his two-goal match winner: "He is an incredible player. We have missed him this season and he would have given us quality wherever he played. He is a goalscorer and they are so valuable, and his two finishes today were of the highest quality. Of course, the last one was memorable and will always be remembered - and what a finish it was. That's the quality he has."