Alexander Isak’s double helped ease Newcastle firmly back into the race for Champions League qualification by denting Nottingham Forest’s hopes in a seven-goal thriller.
The Sweden international took his tally for the season to 21 as he reached 50 goals in the Premier League in a 4-3 victory over third-placed Forest at St James’ Park. The visitors had taken an early lead through Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Lewis Miley, Jacob Murphy and Isak (twice) scored inside 11 first-half minutes to turn the game on its head in front of a crowd of 52,223 – among them chair Yasir Al-Rumayyan – and send the Magpies into Wednesday night’s clash with leaders Liverpool on a high after last weekend’s drubbing at Manchester City.
The visitors, who host second-placed Arsenal in midweek, pulled one back through defender Nikola Milenkovic and ensured a tense conclusion when substitute Ryan Yates struck at the death, but they had given themselves too much to do and are now just three points ahead of City and Newcastle.
“It was always a difficult game and when they took the early lead you know you have a big task,” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said. “I thought we were great with the ball and looked dynamic but then a couple of frailties showed in terms of defending set plays.
“When you win and you have things to improve, that is a good starting point. That’s what I’ll take away from today.
“We can reflect on that second 45 minutes and there are things that we can do better. We pride ourselves on doing better and getting the details right.”
Forest took a sixth-minute lead when Hudson-Odoi caught Murphy in possession and surged forward before firing past Nick Pope, making his first Premier League appearance since 7 December, from 25 yards.
However, the goal came against the run of play and, undeterred, the home side were back on terms within four minutes when, after Forest had smuggled away Bruno Guimaraes’ header, Lewis Hall fed the ball into Miley’s feet and he took a controlling touch before dispatching a left-footed shot across Matz Sels and inside the far post.
The visitors fell behind within seconds after Hall ran on to Isak’s clever backheel and drove forward before sending in a cross that Murphy bundled home at the far post after it had clipped Murillo.
It was 3-1 with 12 minutes of the first half remaining when, after a lengthy VAR review, referee Jarred Gillett awarded a penalty for handball against Ola Aina after he had blocked Hall’s cross with an outstretched arm, and Isak converted straight down the middle despite Sels getting a hand to his attempt.
Remarkably, the Magpies extended their lead further within seconds when Joe Willock raced clear and slid the ball to Isak, whose shot was once again deflected past Sels by the luckless Murillo.
Sels saved from Anthony Gordon and Milenkovic blocked Gordon’s follow-up as the hosts looked to extend their lead, but Isak and Pope got in the way of stoppage-time strikes by Morgan Gibbs-White to deny Forest a lifeline.
Fabian Schar was unfortunate not to extend Newcastle’s lead when his 49th-minute header from a Hall corner came back off a post, but he and his fellow defenders were relieved to see Anthony Elanga fail to convert Neco Williams header back across goal, as difficult a chance as it was, five minutes later.
With the hosts content to sit back behind the ball and strike on the break, former Magpie Elliot Anderson belatedly forced his way into the game, and it was from his 63rd-minute corner that the visitors reduced the deficit when Milenkovic turned Chris Wood’s cross past Pope.
Anderson, Murillo and Wood all passed up good chances as the clock ran down and although Yates struck amid a 90th-minute scramble, Eddie Howe’s men held out as a madcap game drew to a frenetic conclusion.
“We made mistakes, Newcastle made mistakes also. But it was two totally different halves. We started well, we scored, and they just rolled over us,” Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo said.
“There was nothing else in the first half about us. Every time Newcastle had the ball they scored. In the second half we were much better.”
PA
