Joelinton scored a brace in his 100th Premier League game as Newcastle moved into the top half of the Premier League table with a 3-0 win over Norwich City.
Newcastle United’s double Brazilian act came to the fore on Saturday afternoon, with Joelinton scoring a brace and Bruno Guimaraes adding another in a 3-0 Premier League triumph over struggling Norwich City at Carrow Road. After a bright start from the hosts, in which forward Teemu Pukki should have handed them the lead, Joelinton stepped forward as the odd candidate to demonstrate the clinical edge Norwich were lacking.
Norwich missed two huge golden opportunities to take the lead inside the opening 20 minutes – both skied over the bar by youngster Kieran Dowell. After a shaky start, the Magpies rediscovered their stride, due in large part to Howe’s decision to shift Joelinton to the left and Saint-Maximin down the centre.
It instantly paid off, with the Brazilian netting a brace in a space of six minutes in the first half. Joelinton’s first goal was a powerful strike into the top corner after Norwich failed to clear a low cross. For the second goal, Jacob Murphy’s shot was half-deflected by Grant Hanley into Joelinton’s path, who tapped it home into an empty net.
Four minutes into the second half, Tim Krul gifted his former team the third goal. The Norwich goalkeeper passed the ball to Bruno Guimaraes, who finished with the cheekiest of chipped finishes to put the game to bed after only 50 minutes.
The result propels Newcastle into the top half of the top-flight standings and reflects the club’s remarkable progress under Eddie Howe, who led the team to their first league victory at Carrow Road since 1994. Here are our player ratings for the Newcastle United stars after a resounding win against the bottom feeders in the Premier League.
Martin Dubravka: 6.5/10
Dubravka was surprisingly busy during the first-half spell of Norwich pressure, and he saw a couple of dangerous attempts sail over his bar. He produced an excellent stop to deny Dowell’s free-kick effort on the 52nd-minute mark. All in all, the Slovakian shot-stopper was made to work hard to earn his second clean sheet in as many games.
Emil Krafth: 7/10
Krafth put in yet another solid performance at right-back. The Sweden international was defensively assured and offered Norwich no joy down his side. He got up the pitch and linked up well with the midfield and attacked when needed on his side of the pitch. He delivered some teasing crosses and a quick interplay with Murphy to play his part in the buildup to Newcastle’s opener.
Jamaal Lascelles: 7/10
Handed his first start since March 13, the returning Newcastle United skipper was a tad rusty at the start but grew into the game and showed glimpses of his no-nonsense defending. Lascelles tried to play out from the back at times, but his long passes often went astray. Overall, an assured display from the captain as he led the team to another win and a clean sheet.
Dan Burn: 6.5/10
Burn went about his business quietly, and like Lascelles, he got better as the game progressed after a sloppy start. Despite his lack of recovery pace being exposed at times when confronted with a swarm of yellow shirts racing at him in turnovers, he did not have any glaring errors. The Blyth-born defender was also a towering presence in the air and came within a whisker of scoring his first goal for the Toon.
Matt Targett: 7/10
Another good outing for the Aston Villa loanee, who was constrained to a strong defensive position since one of Joelinton or Saint-Maximin was filling the area in front of him. Still, he was an essential attacking outlet and gave Norwich plenty of problems with his dangerous overlaps.
Sean Longstaff: 6.5/10
Given his first start in more than a month, Longstaff competed well physically and justified his selection by contributing to Newcastle United’s victory. He covered the ground well, was quick to shut down Norwich’s passing lanes, and stuck his foot in to win the ball a few times. The Englishman also had a golden opportunity to score late in the first half, but he blazed his shot into the upper stands.
Bruno Guimaraes: 9/10
Bruno Guimarães has been directly involved in four goals in his last three Premier League games:
⚽️⚽️ vs. Leicester
?️ vs. Crystal Palace
⚽️ vs. NorwichWhat a signing. ?? pic.twitter.com/j9ZWAB2HFk
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 23, 2022
Another fantastic performance by the Brazilian. Guimaraes took his goal wonderfully, with a clever dink over the former Newcastle goalie, Krul. He ran the show from the middle of the park, linked up well with his teammates, showed a spark of creativity when needed, and fashioned chances for his teammates. He also defended extremely well.
Joe Willock: 6.5/10
Back in the starting XI after dropping out due to a knee injury, Willock played as the most advanced of the midfield three to offer the extra body in the box and create a central overload. He gave away the ball too easily on a couple of occasions. But he more than made up for it by working his socks off and utilising his pace to drive forward from midfield, sparking Newcastle’s counter-attacks.
Jacob Murphy: 8/10
Coming up against his former club, Murphy got a warm welcome wave of applause from the Norwich supporters midway through the first half, despite his major attacking exploits against their team. The speed merchant was a constant threat and put immense pressure on the Norwich defence and had a hand in two goals for Newcastle. He was confident, direct and tormented left-back Dimitris Giannoulis in one-on-one situations.
Joelinton: 9/10
⚽️ 35'
⚽️ 41'Joelinton has scored a first-half brace against Norwich. ?? pic.twitter.com/AFIGbhDDvH
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) April 23, 2022
On his 100th Premier League appearance for Newcastle, Joelinton netted twice and was the biggest attacking threat with his late runs into the box. He started up top as a lone striker but did the damage from a wide position after swapping places with Saint-Maximin. He took his goals really well – one a cracking curling effort, the other a poacher’s back-post tap in. He kept pushing for a hat-trick before Howe freshened things up.
Allan Saint-Maximin: 7/10
Allan Saint-Maximin was drifting around the top end of the pitch, keeping the Norwich defenders on the backfoot, who were petrified at his pace and footwork. He certainly made his presence felt and got a deserved assist. But the Frenchman could have done with a goal or two, especially when he had the chance to make it 4-0 just moments after Guimaraes scored.
Substitutes
Miguel Almiron: 6/10
Almiron was unlucky not to get a start following his midweek goal, but showed plenty of energy and tried to get involved, and could have scored late on.
Matt Ritchie: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Dwight Gayle: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
