Leicester City 0 Newcastle United 3 | OneFootball

Jacob Murphy's quickfire double gave Eddie Howe's men a two-goal advantage early on at the King Power Stadium, before Harvey Barnes turned home a third before the break.

The wingers' decisive contributions made sure of the points on a comfortable night for the Magpies, who now sit level on points with the Premier League's fourth-placed side, Chelsea, with a game in hand over the Blues after a fourth straight win in all competitions.

Goalkeeper Nick Pope was tested within seconds of the first whistle, diving low to his left to repel a speculative strike from the wily Jamie Vardy, but inside two minutes United had the lead. It was a flowing move involving Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton before former Foxes winger Barnes fed the overlapping Tino Livramento. His low cross gave Murphy the simplest of finishes, and he duly converted from close range.

And ten minutes later, it was two. Murphy's second owed much to Fabian Schär, who went so close to scoring with a remarkable effort from inside his own half. The Swiss defender - who extended his contract with the club last week - spotted Mads Hermansen off his line and took aim from inside the centre circle, and was desperately unlucky to see his shot cannon back off the crossbar. But it fell to Murphy, who composed himself before hammering home to double the Magpies' lead.

The hosts, second bottom of the Premier League table and at real risk of relegation, looked totally devoid of confidence. Barnes - on his first return to the King Power Stadium since leaving for Tyneside in 2023 - saw his goalbound shot blocked by Conor Coady but just after the half hour he had his goal. He had started the breakaway and fed Alexander Isak, whose shot was blocked. Joelinton picked up the pieces and almost found the target himself, with Hermansen getting a strong hand to the Brazilian's shot, but he couldn't direct it away from Barnes, who was poised to apply the finishing touch from six yards out.

Isak drilled one just wide before the break, while Patson Daka somehow struck both posts with a first-time shot from range, but that was about as good as it got for the hapless hosts. After the restart, Ruud van Nistelrooy's men began to swing a few more crosses in and commit more men forwards, but it was to no avail; they couldn't find a way of prising open a Newcastle backline marshalled with typical guile by Schär and Dan Burn.

Howe was able to make some changes after the hour, bringing on Lewis Miley and Sean Longstaff to add a fresh look to his side's all-action midfield as Joelinton and Guimarães made way. Schär's 30-yard drive tested Hermansen soon after but in a second half played at a far slower pace and with fewer clear openings, the visitors were always in control, allowing Howe to deploy Callum Wilson and Will Osula once Murphy and Isak's work for the night was done.

The Magpies' attention now turns to Sunday's clash with Manchester United at St. James' Park, where a positive result could lift them into the top four.