Perhaps it was inevitable given how the half-time playlist gleefully segued between Dirty Cash (Money Talks), Price Tag and Can’t Buy Me Love that a divine second-half intervention from Newcastle’s marquee January signing, Bruno Guimarães, would earn a sixth win in seven matches and extend Eddie Howe’s unbeaten streak to nine Premier League games.
Chris Wood, another mid-season recruit, scored his first goal for the club to cancel out Southampton’s first-half opener before Guimarães’s touch of class sealed a victory that lifts Newcastle 10 points above the relegation zone and within four of the top half. Not that Howe is getting carried away, dismissing the notion his team might already be safe. “We’re not,” he said. “Football changes very quickly, as we’ve seen for the positive. What we have done is put a gap between us and the bottom teams, but that’s all it is.”
It was hard to begrudge the sold-out away end savouring the moment, even if some of the songs felt delightfully far-fetched. For Ralph Hasenhüttl, whose Southampton side have lost successive games for the first time since November, defeat would have only rammed home his frustration.
Hasenhüttl had aired a few gripes – or what could be perceived as sour grapes – about Newcastle being able to name a “completely different team” compared to the one Southampton would have faced at the end of December and argued new signings should have been ineligible for this rearranged game, the original fixture postponed owing to Covid and injuries. Four of Newcastle’s January recruits started here, including Guimarães, who had been drip-fed minutes off the bench since joining. He replaced the injured Joelinton and a fifth, Kieran Trippier, again travelled to the game with the squad despite being on crutches after fracturing a foot. Allan Saint-Maximin missed the game through illness.
Newcastle’s travelling 3,300-strong support enjoyed Dan Burn’s early challenge on Armando Broja, but Southampton began stronger. Martin Dubravka did well to claw the ball from Broja after the on-loan Chelsea striker latched on to a fine Oriol Romeu pass and Broja later skewed wide after Romeu edged out Jonjo Shelvey on halfway. But the pressure told when Stuart Armstrong opened the scoring. Mohamed Elyounoussi diverted Kyle Walker-Peters’s cross back across goal and Armstrong nodded in, via Burn, who tried in vain to clear.
Southampton’s lead proved short-lived. Shelvey played a laser pass into the box for Wood and the striker easily eluded Mohammed Salisu to power a header into the bottom corner beyond Fraser Forster, who started his career with Newcastle. The hosts went close to regaining the lead before the interval, Che Adams blasting against the crossbar. “A few inches are missing,” Hasenhüttl said. “This is the difference and we have to turn this around on Sunday against Watford.”
Newcastle’s players emerged for the second half to the backdrop of Money, Money, Money and Guimarães soon displayed the kind of skill that convinced Amanda Staveley and Jamie Reuben, among those in the directors’ box, to part with £40m to sign him from Lyon. Jacob Murphy saw a shot deflected wide and, from the subsequent corner, Burn knocked the ball down into the six-yard box. Guimarães, with his back to goal, effortlessly flicked the ball in with his right boot to spark delirium among the away fans. He departed with cramp to an ovation. “I’ve not seen too much of that backheeling from close range,” Howe said with a wry smile. “I thought it was a ‘welcome to the Premier League’ for Bruno because it was end to end, transitions and a very, very physical game.”
Southampton fell flat but Dubravka had to be alert to divert a troubling Tino Livramento cross that swirled goalwards and, with a minute of normal time to play, the Newcastle goalkeeper pushed a dangerous Salisu header away. There were a couple of hairy moments for Newcastle during six added minutes – Dubravka tipped over from Armstrong and Willock made a desperate block to deny Adams after the striker squirmed through on goal – but they held on.
