Magpies ravaged the Forest in Newcastle

Given the head-to-head record of these two teams and their performances in the league, it was expected that this match would follow the same pattern, delivering plenty of goals. And that’s exactly what happened. Almost every chance in the first half resulted in a goal.

As early as the 6th minute, following a throw-in, Murphy made a mistake in his own half, allowing Hudson-Odoi to find himself in the right place and fire a shot from around twenty meters out. To make matters worse, Nick Pope, who was in goal for the hosts instead of Dubravka, reacted poorly, leaving the right side of his goal completely exposed, which the Forest winger took full advantage of.

After a magical first half full of goals and chances, the second half was played at a slightly slower pace but was still entertaining. Newcastle secured a 4-3 victory.

Newcastle didn’t let this goal affect them negatively. The Magpies immediately pushed forward, and in the 10th minute they had a chance, but visiting defender Murillo was well positioned to block the shot that was heading towards goal.

Newcastle kept increasing the pressure, and the breakthrough came in the 23rd minute when Lewis Miley scored past Sels after receiving an assist from Hall. The hosts were also a bit lucky as the ball passed through several players before hitting the back of the net.

From that moment, Newcastle’s dominance at St. James’ Park truly began. Just two minutes later, the Magpies executed a brilliant counterattack as Isak surged down the left flank, passed the ball to Hall, who then delivered it into the center of the box. The ball deflected off Murillo and landed right at Murphy’s feet, who calmly slotted it into the net.

In the 29th minute, VAR got involved. Following a cross from the left side, the ball struck Aina’s hand, and after consulting with the VAR room, the referee decided to award a penalty. Alexander Isak stepped up and converted it, though he nearly embarrassed himself with a Panenka attempt that Sels managed to get a hand on, but not strongly enough to prevent the ball from going in. This goal made Isak the highest-scoring Swedish player in Premier League history, surpassing the legendary Freddie Ljungberg.

Swedish striker wasn’t done yet. In the 34th minute, after an assist from Willock, he fired a shot from the left side, forcing visitor's goalkeeper to pick the ball out of the net for the fourth time. Newcastle even had a chance for a fifth goal when Murphy found himself in a good position again, but the visiting goalkeeper managed to save it, preventing an even greater first-half disaster for Nottingham Forest.

Exhausted from the first half, it was unrealistic to expect Newcastle and Nottingham to deliver anything similar to the spectacle of the opening 45 minutes. However, just four minutes into the second half, we saw a big chance when Swiss defender Schar headed the ball after a corner, only to see it bounce off the post.

Nottingham took control of possession in an attempt to get back into the game. Their efforts nearly paid off in the 54th minute when Elanga found himself unmarked at the far post after a cutback, but the former Manchester United player couldn't adjust in time, and his shot went off target.

Still, all that pressure finally paid off in the 63rd minute. Amid chaos in Newcastle’s box, Nikola Milenkovic was in the right place at the right time, sending the ball past Pope.

The visitors had a chance to create total chaos in the 79th minute when, after a corner, Murillo took a shot. However, the ball narrowly missed the target and went wide of the Newcastle goal.

To heat things up at the end of the match, Yates stepped up, scoring after another scramble in the box and putting the ball past the home goalkeeper, adding tension on both sides. However, there were no noteworthy chances for the rest of the match, and with this win, Newcastle moves up to fifth place, while Nottingham could drop to fourth if Manchester City defeats first-place Liverpool.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 26

Friday

Leicester - Brentford 0-4 (0-3)

/Wissa 17, Mbeumo 27, Norgaard 32, Carvalho 89/

Saturday

Everton - Manchester United 2-2 (2-0)

/Beto 17, Doucoure 32 - Fernandes 72, Ugarte 80/

Arsenal - West Ham 0-1 (0-1)

/Bowen 44/

Bournemouth - Wolves 0-1 (0-1)

/Cunha 36/

Fulham - Crystal Palace 0-2 (0-1)

/Andersen 37 og, Munoz 66/

Ipswich - Tottenham 1-4 (1-2)

/Hutchinson 36 - Johnson 18, 26, Spence 77, Kulusevski 84/

Southampton - Brighton (0-1)

/Pedro 23, Rutter 56, Mitoma 71, Hinshelwood 82/

Aston Villa - Chelsea 2-1 (0-1)

/Asensio 47, 89 - Fernandez 9/

Sunday

Newcastle - Nott Forest 4-3 (4-1)

/Miley 23, Murphy 25, Isak 33 pen, 34 - Hudson-Odoi 6, Milenkovic 63, Yates 90/

19.30: (3.15) Man City (3.70) Liverpool (2.30)

***odds are subject to change***