Visiting fans mock Ralph Hasenhuttl with chants he would be getting ‘sacked in the morning’ during dominant display from top-four contenders
This game looked like what it was: a confident, well-organised team with serious designs on Europe up against a side in difficulties at the wrong end of the table. And if Newcastle United did not always show top-four quality in its purest sense, they certainly exhibited the ruthlessness in front of goal that separates achievers from strugglers.
Miguel Almiron gave them a first-half lead with his seventh goal in as many games, and two goals in two minutes from substitute Chris Wood and Joe Willock killed off any hopes Southampton might have had of getting back into the game as they had against Arsenal a fortnight ago.
It was the Newcastle’s fourth Premier League victory in succession and consigned Southampton to back-to-back defeats. After one win in nine games, the chants of ‘sacked in the morning’ directed by the visiting fans at Ralph Hasenhuttl must have taken on a worrying edge for the Austrian coach. A defiant late goal from Romain Perraud was some small consolation, but was followed immediately by Newcastle’s fourth, from Bruno Guimaraes.
Jacob Murphy replaced the suspended Joelinton for the visitors, while Hasenhuttl made four changes to the team beaten at Crystal Palace nine days ago – but to little avail.