Miguel Almiron’s second goal in a week set Newcastle on their way to a third-successive Premier League victory as Burnley’s wait for a first top-flight win of the campaign continued.
Almiron’s sweet 14th-minute strike and Alexander Isak’s late penalty were enough to secure a 2-0 success at St James’ Park and extend the Magpies’ unbeaten run to five games in all competitions on an afternoon when they were utterly dominant.
But for the efforts of goalkeeper James Trafford and some sub-standard finishing as they failed to scale the heights they reached to put eight past Sheffield United last Sunday, the margin of victory would have been significantly more substantial.
For their part, the Clarets might have taken an early lead through Zeki Amdouni had it not been for Nick Pope, but they otherwise struggled to put the England goalkeeper’s goal under genuine pressure.
A Newcastle side with one eye on Wednesday evening’s mouthwatering Champions League showdown with Paris St Germain on Tyneside might have been behind within four minutes.
Full-back Dan Burn slipped as he attempted to collected the ball under little pressure and allowed Luca Koleosho to race away and square for striker Amdouni, only for Pope to make a fine save to keep his side level.
Koleosho was proving a real handful down the Clarets’ right in the early stages with the Magpies struggling for coherence, although Trafford needed two attempts to collect Isak’s skidding 11th-minute strike after Bruno Guimaraes had intercepted Connor Roberts’ ill-judged square ball.
Trafford was beaten, however, three minutes later when, after Kieran Trippier had dispossessed Aaron Ramsey, Almiron cut inside before curling an unstoppable shot across the keeper.
With the home side hunting in packs, Burnley were struggling to cope with their high press and Sean Longstaff fired just wide of the far post after Elliot Anderson and Isak had combined to wrestle the ball back.
The Sweden international should have doubled their advantage with 27 minutes gone after running on to Guimaraes’ first-time pass, but he took a heavy touch and although he forced the ball past the advancing Trafford, the off-balance frontman was unable to finish at the second time of asking.
Trafford kept Burnley in it 10 minutes before the break when he somehow managed to keep out the unmarked Anderson’s diving header and had to atone for his own error by denying the same man in stoppage time after his wayward pass had been picked off by Guimaraes.
Newcastle went close within seconds of the restart when Tripper’s powerfully-struck shot was deflected wide with Trafford having gone the other way and the visitors found themselves camped deep inside their own territory once again as the second half unfolded.
Anthony Gordon was enjoying the space afforded to him down the Magpies’ left, but it was Almiron and Trippier who caused problems down the opposite flank with 57 minutes gone, although Isak was unable to make contact with the England full-back’s teasing cross.
Burnley midfielder Josh Cullen saw a shot from distance blocked by Guimaraes 20 minutes from time, but Trafford had to field Gordon’s snapshot and then found himself staring down the barrel after the home side were awarded a 77th-minute penalty for Ameed Al-Dakhil’s clumsy challenge on Gordon.
Isak expertly sent Trafford the wrong way from 12 yards to seal the win with the minimum of fuss.
Italy win shows 'true face of the France team', says Rabiot
Adrien Rabiot believes Sunday's win over Italy showed "the true face of the France team" as they secured top spot in Nations League Group A2.
The midfielder headed home twice in their 3-1 victory, meeting excellent deliveries from Lucas Digne on both, with his second goal restoring the all-important two-goal cushion that ensured they finished above the Azzurri in the group.
This comes after France had failed to find a way past Israel in a frustrating 0-0 draw last time out.
However, Sunday's victory ensured France will be seeded in the quarter-finals draw as they seem to have put their disappointing Euro 2024 campaign, in which they won just twice as they struggled in front of goal, behind them.
Les Bleus also avenged the 3-1 defeat to Italy on home soil in the reverse fixture, something Rabiot said was playing on their minds while they prepared for their trip to San Siro.
"It's been a long time since we've played a match like this, that we haven't fought in this way all together, until the end," he told TF1.
"We also had the objective of winning with a two-goal difference, we did it. But frankly, the mutual aid that there was in this match, the combativeness, the team spirit, it's to be highlighted. Frankly, we enjoyed playing this match.
"It was a different context [Thursday]. Above all, there was a revenge to be taken compared to the previous match against Italy, who had come to win at home. It's a great evening. I hope we will continue to show this face. It's the true face of the France team."
Digne officially got two assists in the victory, but he also played a big role in France's other goal – his free-kick rattled the crossbar before bouncing in off the unfortunate Guglielmo Vicario.
In fact, France scored three goals from set-pieces in a match for the first time since 1991, when they netted three times from dead-ball situations against Albania.
"[The free-kick is] a technical gesture that is worked on in training. The more you do, the more automatic it becomes, and it pays off," Digne said.
"Offensively, it's not bad at all. As a defender, I would have preferred to finish with a clean sheet, but we can't have everything. We finished first, it's great.
"We had a revenge to take from the first leg, we wanted to show a completely different face. And in addition to our slightly worse match against Israel... We really wanted to show that this jersey is close to our hearts. The whole group was present. It was really a complete match."
France's Nations League quarter-finals will be played in March.
Israel 1-0 Belgium: Shua late show proves decisive
Relegated Israel stunned Belgium 1-0 in their final Nations League game as Yarden Shua's late goal earned them their first win in the competition this season.
The Red Devils, who were without a number of key players for the tie in Hungary, were masters of their own downfall as they gifted Israel the winner with four minutes left on the clock.
In a cagey first half, Eli Dasa breached Belgium's backline 24 minutes in and beat Koen Casteels with a crisp low effort, only to be denied by the foot of the far post.
Casteels was alert just before the break, getting down low to push Dor Peretz's low drive away from the bottom corner.
Domenico Tedesco's half-time team talk looked to have buoyed his side as they upped the pressure, with Lois Openda hitting the side netting before Johan Bakayoko forced a fingertip save out of Daniel Peretz just after the hour.
However, in their rush to find a winner, Belgium were caught playing out from the back. Dor Peretz latched onto Matte Smets' loose backpass, and though he was bundled over in the box, Shua coolly picked out the bottom corner.
Israel finish bottom of Group A2 and are automatically relegated to League B, while Belgium sit above them due to a superior goal difference in their head-to-head record –they now have a relegation play-off to overcome.
Data Debrief: Tough times for Tedesco
It has been a Nations League campaign to forget for Belgium, who managed just one win and finished with a whimper as they went winless in their final four matches (D1 L3).
They just edged the shot count in Budapest, having 12 attempts to Israel's 10, but without the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne to call on, they lacked a clinical edge.
While Belgium struggled in attack, their defensive struggles will also be a worry for Tedesco. They failed to win any of the four games in which they fell behind in the group, earning just one point from a losing position.
Tottenham's Odobert undergoes hamstring surgery
Tottenham have confirmed that Wilson Odobert has undergone surgery for a hamstring injury.
The 19-year-old joined Spurs from Burnley in August and made five appearances in all competitions for the north London side.
He managed just 162 minutes in his three Premier League matches, creating three chances in that time, but has not featured in the competition since their 1-0 loss to Arsenal in mid-September.
His last appearance was a two-minute cameo in the Europa League group stage amid ongoing hamstring problems.
"We can confirm that Wilson Odobert underwent surgery to his right hamstring yesterday (Saturday 16th November)," Spurs said on social media.
"The 19-year-old will continue to be closely monitored by our medical team to determine when he can return to training."
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