He goes on and they go. Game for game Miguel Almiron proves he is a player with few limits and so is the wider Newcastle United collective.
As always, it is necessary to avoid big proclamations after big wins over struggling clubs. But if beating Southampton is a regular rite of passage for the big and good, Eddie Howe has stormed past another checkpoint as he approaches the one-year anniversary of his time as leader.
That falls on Tuesday, which is a handy reminder that they were fighting relegation back then. With Saudi Arabia’s wealth powering their drill, they’re digging an ever-deepening trench in the Premier League’s top four.
Miguel Almiron continued his bright form in Newcastle with one more goal to open the scoring
Chris Wood doubled Newcastle’s lead with a handsome finish before the hour at St Mary’s
What it will all lead to in the short term this season is harder than usual to predict due to the upcoming World Cup, but undeniably a beautiful body of work is starting to take shape, with four wins in four, nine unbeaten games and a few players in Almiron and Bruno Guimaraes which are piping hot.
It was somewhat fitting that those two stars took this victory with outstanding goals, which in Almiron’s case was his seventh in seven games. Between their strikes it was hardly Newcastle’s best day and yet there were also goals for Chris Wood and Joe Willock, rather supporting the old theory that good teams find a way. And make no mistake about that – they are a seriously good team, with a strong offense and a defense that is numerically among the best in the division.
There will certainly come a time when the latter will be better tested, especially with regard to any vulnerabilities it may have to pace and precise passing at halftime: for all the brilliance of Sven Botman and Fabian Schar in those back four, you must questioning .
But it was always unlikely that Southampton would be the team, even if they had their moments, most notably when Mohamed Elyounoussi missed an open goal trailing 1-0.
Perhaps that changed the game and helped seal the fate of Ralph Hasenhuttl, whose continued occupation of the track now seems best measured in hours and days. It will not have helped his chances that the mutiny spread among Southampton fans towards the end of their eighth loss of the season.
Joe Willock got the end of a great through ball from Kieran Trippier to make three
Romain Perraud scored a solo goal that turned out to be just a consolation
But just as perspective should be applied to any side beating Southampton, so should it be introduced when discussing teams crushed by Newcastle.
That they had won three in the trot that came in this trot hinted at their momentum, and no doubt contributed to Howe’s decision to make just a single change to the team that crushed Aston Villa, with the forced substitution of Jacob Murphy for Joelinton because of the latter suspension.
Perhaps aware of further disruption to his attack, the Newcastle manager had opted to keep Callum Wilson, despite the striker saying earlier in the week that he was feeling ‘decrepit’.
Despite all the gifts from the Englishman, there are always concerns about his injury record, so there have been eyebrows around his roster, especially with a potential World Cup call-up just around the corner. Following the same line of thought, there was relief when he was substituted after an uneventful first half, with Howe reporting it was due to light-headedness rather than a physical problem.
With Wilson at limited capacity, Newcastle initially struggled to make use of their promising positions, before finally going on for 35 minutes through a delightful mix of substance and swagger. The substance came with winning a high ball to start the move; the style came from the one-touch rotation between Sean Longstaff and Wilson before Almiron Ainsley embarrassed Maitland-Niles and rolled past Gavin Bazunu.
Bruno Guimaraes added Newcastle’s fourth with a low attack from long range
Southampton, who paid for their waste with some good chances in the first half, missed more opportunities through Che Adams and Elyounoussi at the start of the second. They were soon buried for it.
With Guimares masterfully conducting at the foot of their midfield, Newcastle found the holes easier to pick and after Wood made it 2-0 with a shot on the turn, Willock got third after some quality work from Kieran Trippier. The latter then came out with what appeared to be a tight hamstring, which may have caused some discomfort for Gareth Southgate at the stadium, but Howe said it was a precaution.
Romain Perraud pulled back a goal for Southampton and maybe they deserved it – they tried and didn’t play to limit the damage. But football is rarely a nice performance and so they took another blow before the time was called, with Guimarae rattling a fourth into the bottom corner from 25 yards. A beautiful goal from a beautiful player in an impressive team.
Chasing Newcastle from such heights will take some work.