Newcastle 4-0 Leicester: Ruud Van Nistelrooy suffers dismal first defeat as Foxes boss with Jacob Murphy scoring twice to fire Eddie Howe’s side into the top half

It is too soon to talk of corners turned – especially when this Newcastle side can drive even the sanest supporter around the bend – but a four-goal response to a four-game winless run was as good as Eddie Howe could have asked from his players.

They needed this, on the back of a bruising week in which Alan Shearer questioned the team’s attitude and goalkeeper Nick Pope and striker Callum Wilson were lost to injury until 2025. To that end, they needed Leicester.

New Foxes boss Ruud van Nistelrooy lost for the first time as a manager in English football, after six unbeaten across this job and a caretaker spell at Manchester United. He will lose many more on this evidence.

Somehow, Leicester are still two points clear of the bottom three, and that does not speak well of those in the drop zone. The polar-necked Van Nistelrooy continues to dress like a Cluedo suspect, but there was no doubting the guilty parties here. Indeed, you’ll find the names of his entire back four in the black envelope.

Take Newcastle’s first goal on the half hour, a short corner when they had three men to Leicester’s one and duly played it around him with ease. Anthony Gordon strode unopposed into the area and pulled back for Jacob Murphy to steer into the bottom corner.

Half-time arrived with a shot count of 14 to one, but there was never any suspicion that Newcastle would pay for their profligacy.

Newcastle midfielder Jacob Murphy scored twice to complete Newcastle’s four-goal win

Leicester’s defence produced a miserable showing against a relentless Newcastle attack

Leicester were forced to change goalkeeper at the break and substitute Danny Ward got a couple of early touches. The only problem was, he was picking the ball out of the net on both occasions.

Another well-worked set-piece on 47 minutes saw Gordon float a free-kick to Lewis Hall, who headed across goal for Bruno Guimaraes to nod in.

Three minutes later it was Gordon to Hall again and the latter supplied the cross for Alexander Isak to head home when unmarked in the goalmouth.

It could have been five by the time it was four on the hour, after both Murphy and Isak missed good chances. But that pair combined to complete the scoring, Isak rolling to the overlapping Murphy and he did the rest with a smash through Ward.

‘We defended bad,’ said Van Nistelrooy, and that was far more accurate than anything his team had produced.

Midfielder Bruno Guimaraes (back of shot) scored Newcastle’s third goal at St James’ Park

Jacob Murphy scored his second goal with a strong strike into the bottom corner

Howe was happier than his counterpart, but refused to get carried away. ‘The players delivered today, but we still have to find the missing ingredient to get the consistency we need,’ he said.

Both teams took their foot off the gas at 4-0 – Leicester’s was never on it, in truth – as there are bigger to come for both before Christmas. Leicester host relegation rivals Wolves next weekend.

For Newcastle, it is Brentford in a Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday, and that feels far more season-defining than halting a poor run here.

Book their place in the last four and maybe then Howe and his players can peer around that corner towards better days.