Almiron curls in a beautiful winner as the Magpies continue their strong start
Miguel Almiron scored his fifth goal of the season as Newcastle United beat Everton 1-0 to make it six games unbeaten in the Premier League.
The Paraguay international’s 31st-minute finish was enough to take the three points on a night when Eddie Howe’s side were not at their best and had to survive a second-half comeback from the Toffees to extend their unbeaten run to six games.
Everton, for whom striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin played 73 minutes in his first start of the season, were by far second best before the break and perhaps lucky to be only a single goal behind.
They improved markedly as the Magpies tired, but without ever troubling goalkeeper Nick Pope, and slumped to a third successive defeat as a result.
Former Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford was given his usual Tyneside welcome as he fended off a series of harmless early balls and cleared his lines, and he could see Bruno Guimaraes’ speculative sixth-minute shot fly high over the crossbar.
However, Calvert-Lewin enjoyed a less comfortable opening, losing possession to Sven Botman early on before picking up a booking for a foul on Guimaraes.
Pickford was more concerned about Jacob Murphy’s deep strike in the eighth minute, although the Magpies’ attempts to impose themselves were repeatedly thwarted by a lack of precision in passing.
Kieran Trippier and Guimaraes worked a neat free-kick move to give Callum Wilson half a chance, but his 16th-minute header did not trouble Pickford.
Calvert-Lewin mustered Everton’s first attempt at goal with a header from Demarai Gray’s corner in the 26th minute but cleared the crossbar with a piece and Seamus Coleman had to hack away Wilson’s cross with Murphy waiting to pounce two minutes later.
The home side took the lead 14 minutes before the break when, after Murphy had headed Trippier’s ball back across goal, it was fed out to Guimaraes, whose pass was perfectly weighted for Almiron to curl a superb shot over the helpless Pickford and inside the far post .
Newcastle may have extended their lead considerably as they took the game by the scruff of the neck and Guimaraes twice fired just wide of Pickford’s save from Fabian Schar’s bullet header before Dan Burn narrowly missed the target.
The first half ended in acrimonious fashion after Anthony Gordon, returning from suspension, went to ground under Burns’ challenge with both the midfielder and Schar booked for his part in the melee that followed.
A rare mistake from Trippier allowed Gray to run down the Everton left three minutes after the restart, only for the midfielder to drag the cross behind the Blues arriving in the middle to let the Magpies off the hook.
Almiron whistled a 55th-minute try just high and wide, but the visitors enjoyed the best spell of the game with Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana belatedly making their impact.
Substitute Joe Willock saw a Trippier free-kick in the 77th minute go wide of the far post and head over with four minutes remaining and there was no way back for the visitors.
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