🔬 The Debrief as Newcastle hammer Man Utd and glory looms for Liverpool | OneFootball

The Sunday serving of Premier League football gave us four games, 18 goals and plenty of drama to boot.

Here's what we made of it all.

What happened? 📝

📸 PAUL ELLIS - AFP or licensors

The biggest result of the day went to Newcastle United, who survived the absence of the unwell Eddie Howe to smash Manchester United 4-1 at St James' Park to move into the top four and significantly boost their chances of securing Champions League football.

After going into the break level, the Magpies blitzed Ruben Amorim's sorry side, completing a first double over the fallen giants in a staggering 97 years.

Newcastle leapfrogged Chelsea, who could only draw 2-2 at home with Ipswich Town. After the Tractor Boys stunned Stamford Bridge with two first half goals, the Blues fought back but could not seal a much-needed win.

Liverpool stretched their lead at the top of the table to 13 points with a dramatic 2-1 victory over West Ham, meaning they need just six more points to clinch a 20th league title. Andy Robertson's own goal late on cancelled out Luis Díaz's opener but Virgil van Dijk scored even later to finish off a fine week for Arne Slot.

At the other end of the league, Wolves inflicted more misery on Tottenham, defeating them 4-2 at Molineux. Spurs conceded inside 85 seconds before Djed Spence scored a slapstick own goal before the break. They twice fought back from two-goal deficits but Matheus Cunha sealed the win late on to pile the pressure on Ange Postecoglou.

Player of the Day 🔥

📸 ANDY BUCHANAN - AFP or licensors

Newcastle's rout over United was one that exposed the sheer gulf in physicality and athleticism between the two sides, as well as other more obvious factors.

The Magpies are one of the most powerful teams in the league, with a midfield three of Bruno Guimarães, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali a match for anyone. The Italian opened the scoring before the captain put a seal on it with a late fourth.

The two other goals came from Harvey Barnes, which showed all the good apsects of his game. His first was a poacher's finish after Jacob Murphy cut the ball back across a lax United box, while his second was one of the very best he's scored in his career.

Noussair Mazraoui's slip allowed the 27-year-old to nick the ball and power forward, which he did in some style, rampaging through a weak United defence and hammering the ball into the top corner past Altay Bayındır.

It wasn't the first time he's done something similar this season.

Barnes stepped up today with Anthony Gordon only on the bench, and provided Howe with the perfect get well message.

Stat of the Day 📊

Your near-weekly reminder of how far United have fallen in the last 12 years.

What this means 🤔

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Liverpool are within touching distance of the title, and could have it wrapped up on Easter if results go their way.

The race for Champions League football couldn't be tighter, with Newcastle now very well positioned and only a point behind third-placed Nottingham Forest with a game in hand.

Chelsea's struggles continue with it now just five wins in their last 16 league games, and their run in means there is a distinct possibility they miss out on a place at Europe's top table for a third consecutive season.

Spurs woes are somehow even worse than United's, with it now 17 league losses for the season, just two shy of their 38-game campaign record. They are also two points ahead of Wolves, who have gone from strength to strength under Vítor Pereira.

What they said 🗣️

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It was another damaging day for United, with Bruno Fernandes trying his best to keep calm.

"My team-mates - I only get frustrated with them because I know how good they can be. I know how tough it is to represent this club. They want so much to give to the club, to win because they know how much they will be remembered if they win something with this club.

"On Thursday [against Lyon in Europa League quarter-final] we go forward, we create a big atmosphere in our stadium, we need to be on the front foot and give everything we have because we want to get to the semi-final.

On the other side of things, it was a brilliant day for Newcastle and assistant Jason Tindall, who had the full backing of the sick Eddie Howe.

"I've just seen a message from him [Eddie Howe] congratulating us. He was able to watch the game, and I'm sure it lifted his spirits.

"He trusted the decision we'd make, we've been working together for a long time. He was able to communicate earlier on in the week, then put his trust in everyone to put in a performance he'd be proud of, and the boys delivered.

Ange Postecoglou attempted to be level-headed after a slapstick loss at Wolves, with individual errors continuing to be a theme of his reign.

"Obviously a disappointing result. Funny game because for the most part I thought our football was decent considering all the changes we've made."

"For the most part we controlled large parts of it, were a threat going forward and didn't give them too much. But then obviously we conceded some pretty poor goals and that made it awfully difficult to get an outcome today."

What's next? 👀

The weekend's fixtures round off tomorrow with a clash between Bournemouth and Fulham, both of whom are still in the hunt for European positions.

Newcastle get the chance to move into third on Wednesday when they host Crystal Palace before another full weekend of action.

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