Malick Thiaw fired Newcastle ahead inside just 55 seconds, the fastest Premier League goal of the season, as Eddie Howe’s men cruised to a 4-1 win over a lacklustre Everton, sealing their first league away victory since April.
Everton, heroic in Monday’s gritty 10-man triumph at Old Trafford, were unrecognisable.
Defensive errors riddled their display, and by half-time a wave of frustrated supporters had already abandoned their seats, leaving a half-empty Hill Dickinson Stadium for the restart.
Newcastle could hardly believe their fortune. Pickford had barely finished pushing away Anthony Elanga’s early effort before Thiaw, a £35m summer arrival from AC Milan, climbed between Tarkowski and Keane to nod home his first goal for the club. It also wiped out Phil Foden’s newly-set fastest goal record by four seconds.
Pickford was at fault again soon after as Lewis Miley’s drive squirmed beneath him following chaotic Everton defending sparked by Tim Iroegbunam’s miscontrol. In between those moments, Everton enjoyed spells of possession but produced little threat, a problem all too familiar this season.
They were spared further damage only by the crossbar, which kept out Lewis Hall’s deflected strike, before Nick Woltemade made it 3-0 deep into first-half stoppage time, finishing a sweeping counter launched by debuting goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Ramsdale, starting due to Nick Pope’s training-ground groin injury, had little to do beyond initiating that decisive break.
Newcastle’s three first-half goals matched their total from every other away ground this season combined, and with Everton having scored three goals in just one match all season, fans began filing out early.
The exodus grew when Thiaw rose again in the 58th minute, moments after Charly Alcaraz rattled the bar, to head in Newcastle’s fourth after Tarkowski’s last-ditch block fell kindly to the visitors.
Thierno Barry looked to have finally scored his first Everton goal, but VAR ruled it out for handball after the ball brushed his arm.
Everton’s only moment of real quality came from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who produced a sublime touch-and-volley finish from Tarkowski’s long pass, but it did little to ease the gloom.
Newcastle, now within four points of fourth place, left Merseyside with their most comfortable away night of the season and Everton left with hard questions and an angry, emptied-out stadium.
