Soccer-Isak doubles up as Newcastle beat Southampton 3-1


Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Newcastle United - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - January 25, 2025 Newcastle United's Martin Dubravka in action as he makes a save Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) -Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak scored twice as the visitors beat bottom side Southampton 3-1 on Saturday to climb into fourth position in the Premier League as they continue to chase a Champions League spot in a tight battle.

Southampton captain Jan Bednarek had put his side ahead in the 10th minute at St Mary's with a powerful header from just outside the six-yard box from James Bree's cross.

Isak equalised with a penalty in the 26th after a tangle of legs led to a lengthy VAR check and scored again four minutes later with a curling finish off the post before Sandro Tonali made it three after going clean through soon after the break.

Southampton's Mateus Fernandes thought he had scored in the 84th minute but his effort was disallowed by VAR.

Newcastle returned to winning ways after a nine-game run of victories in all competitions ended against Bournemouth a week ago.

"I thought it was a massive win for us after last week," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe told reporters. "Especially conceding so early, that was a huge response from the players."

The match marked a record sixth consecutive home league defeat for Southampton and left them adrift at the foot of the table on six points, 10 points off the safety zone.

Saints had slightly more possession, however, and showed attacking intent throughout the match.

Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was forced to make an instinctive save from close range to keep out Taylor Harwood-Bellis's effort in the opening moments of the second half.

"I think we gave everything that we've got," said Southampton manager Ivan Juric. "It's not easy to play against Newcastle."

The visitors' counter-attacking flair ultimately won them the game as they frequently found space behind Southampton’s leaky defence.

With Newcastle having equalised through Isak's penalty, Jacob Murphy skipped past the Saints midfield before a pinpoint pass found the Sweden striker who stylishly scored again.

After 51 minutes Anthony Gordon unleashed Tonali one-on-one with keeper Alex McCarthy before the Italian emphatically slotted the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 3-1.

Howe praised Tonali for "his athleticism, his speed, his coolness." He added: "He's just become such an important player for us in a very quick time".

The win took Newcastle into fourth place above Chelsea and Manchester City, who were playing in Saturday's late game.

(Reporting by Harry Robertson, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)

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