Alexander Isak's first career Premier League hat-trick sent Ipswich Town to a 4-0 defeat when Newcastle United traveled to Portman Road on Saturday afternoon.
“There's a good feeling around the team at the moment,” Eddie Howe said beforehand after his side booked their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals in the middle of the week. “I'd like to think we're building some momentum, but the proof will be in what we deliver on Saturday.” It took less than half a minute for Howe's players to vindicate their manager.
Isak put the ball in the back of his Ipswichhis net just 26 seconds after the start. It took VAR much longer to finally confirm that the goal was allowed to stand after an endless offside call.
Despite initial doubts from the on-field assistant referee, Jacob Murphy sat on the legal side of the virtual VAR lines. It was the start of a great afternoon for the former Norwich City academy graduate.
Having fun in enemy territory, it was Murphy's cross that bounced kindly into Isaac's path. The indefatigable winger quickly got on the scoresheet. At the end of a slicking transition sequence which saw Newcastle patiently zig-zagging into the Ipswich box, Murphy sent a venomous effort crashing off the underside of Arijanet Muric's crossbar.
Isak finished off a shot in the first half in stoppage time. Bruno Guimaraes was breathing down Jens Cajuste's neck when Muric unassisted curled a pass inside the Ipswich six-yard box. The Newcastle captain flicked the ball away and at the feet of a grateful Isaac, who was almost too embarrassed to celebrate his finish after such a mistake.
It was Isak who broke away to score his third and Newcastle's fourth in the 54th minute, but Murphy was once again at the heart of another successful surge. The ex-Canary was visibly confident as he stabbed a backheel through a cluster of T-shirts, somehow picking out Isak inside a crowded penalty area.
Dan Burn was denied a fifth for Newcastle by a VAR review, but nothing could dampen the jubilant mood spreading through the visitors.
Kieran McKenna's newly promoted hosts are still waiting for their first home win of the season. Many of Ipswich's previous outings in front of their home fans have been close affairs, but Saturday's contest was effectively over within the opening 30 seconds.
Player ratings provided by FotMob
|
Player |
ASSESSMENT |
|---|---|
|
GC: Arijanet Muric |
4.6/10 |
|
RB: Harry Clarke |
5.0/10 |
|
CB: Dara O'Shea |
5.7/10 |
|
CB: Cameron Burgess |
5.7/10 |
|
LB: Leif Davis |
5.8/10 |
|
CM: Sam Walrusy |
5.8/10 |
|
CM: Jens Cajuste |
4.2/10 |
|
AM: Omar Hutchinson |
5.6/10 |
|
RW: Wes Burns |
6.2/10 |
|
ST: Conor Chaplin |
6.2/10 |
|
LW: Sammie Szmodics |
6.1/10 |
|
UNDER: Ali Al Hamadi (46' for Hutchinson) |
6.2/10 |
|
UNDER: Jack Taylor (62' for Chaplin) |
6.0/10 |
|
UNDER: Kalvin Phillips (62' for Cajuste) |
6.3/10 |
|
UNDER: Ben Johnson (78' for Burns) |
6.1/10 |
|
UNDER: Nathan Broadhead (78' for Szmodics) |
6.0/10 |
Subs: Christian Walton (GK), Conor Townsend, Jacob Greaves, Jack Clarke.
Player ratings provided by FotMob
|
Player |
ASSESSMENT |
|---|---|
|
GC: Martin Dubravka |
7.7/10 |
|
RB: Tino Livramento |
7.4/10 |
|
CB: Fabian Schar |
7.8/10 |
|
CB: Dan Burns |
7.6/10 |
|
LB: Lewis Hall |
7.7/10 |
|
CM: Sandro Tonali |
7.4/10 |
|
CM: Bruno Guimaraes |
8.5/10 |
|
CM: Joe Willock |
6.4/10 |
|
RW: Jacob Murphy |
8.6/10 |
|
ST: Alexander Isak |
9.7/10 |
|
LW: Anthony Gordon |
8.3/10 |
|
UNDER: Kieran Trippier (64' for Livramento) |
6.6/10 |
|
UNDER: Sean Longstaff (64' for Willock) |
6.2/10 |
|
UNDER: Harvey Barnes (64' for Murphy) |
6.1/10 |
|
UNDER: Miguel Almiron (73' for Isak) |
6.1/10 |
|
UNDER: Lewis Miley (80' for Guimaraes) |
6.2/10 |
Subs not used: Odisseas Vlachodimos (GK), Lloyd Kelly, Matt Targett, William Osula