Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
Sport
Lee Ryder

Newcastle 1-0 Crystal Palace match report as Almiron stunner seals sixth successive home win

Newcastle United supremo Yasir Al-Rumayyan watched on from the Milburn Stand as the Magpies put themselves within touching distance of the top 10.

Eddie Howe's side may not have served up a classic encounter for the Toon chairman but this victory nudged them up to 40 points and all but secures their place in the Premier League next season. This was a professional display from United as they grabbed the lead in the first half through Miguel Almiron and never looked like letting it go.

It was Paraguay playmaker Miggy that set the tone for Newcastle in front of another packed house. The first real chance of the game for Newcastle fell for Almiron who spun past his marker in the box but his shot was then blocked and ushered away for a corner by one of England's most recently capped players Mark Guehi.

READ MORE: Yasir Al-Rumayyan attends Newcastle United home clash with Crystal Palace

Allan Saint-Maximin then wound up for a shot three minutes later and hit a powerful low effort on the turn but Vicente Guaita was equal to it With 15 minutes gone, Almiron felt he should have had a penalty when he lashed a shot off the arm of Cheikhou Kouyate at the Leazes End. United's subs bench bashed the top of the dugout in sheer rage but Hartlepool whistler Tony Harrington waved away protests.

Five minutes later Chris Wood strode through down the left but sent his shot wide but the move had already been adjudged offside. The game was still level after half an hour with Almiron showing signs of frustration and getting involved in a push and shove with Wilfried Zaha.

That incident was history two minutes later though when Bruno clipped over a fine ball down the right for Almiron who nodded on and raced past his man before curling a superb effort into the top left-hand corner at the Leazes End. It was a moment that clearly meant a lot to Almiron as he ripped off his shirt and dived into the crowd before picking up a yellow card for his trouble.

Yet you couldn't really blame Almiron for his emotions after a stint out of the team and the goal his first since a 3-2 win over Southampton 14 months ago. Efforts from Almiron again and Bruno forced Guaita to save low down with Palace in utter disarray.

Palace made a change before half-time when Jordan Ayew replaced Michael Olise. The second half started with Newcastle on the front foot with the majority of the 51,938 crowd eager to see an early insurance goal from the home side.

Joelinton came close on 48 minutes when Targett curled a free-kick to the far post and the Brazilian's header bounced wide. Palace boss Patrick Vieira went for broke just before the hour mark when introducing former Mainz 05 star Jean-Philippe Mateta and veteran midfielder James McArthur on as they replaced Kouyate and Conor Gallagher go off.

Gallagher has been a genuine star for Palace during his loan spell from Chelsea but barely got a look in as Newcastle marked him out of the game on the night.

A Fabian Schar free-kick found Dan Burn mid-way through the second half but his looping header was easy for the goalkeeper. Martin Dubravka had to stay alert on 74 minutes as Mateta's header flashed across him but he held firm. Howe made his first changes of the evening when he introduced Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock for Saint-Maximin and Almiron,

Clear-cut chances in the closing stages were few and far between for either side and Almiron's first half strike proved enough to make it six victories in a row. The first time Newcastle have pulled off such a feat since the days of Sir Bobby Robson on Tyneside.

For the latest Newcastle news direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free newsletter

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.