Newcastle United missed out on the chance to win a club-record tenth consecutive game as they stumbled to a miserable 4-1 loss at home to Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Goals from Justin Kluivert at either end of the first half saw Bournemouth take a one-goal cushion into the break, with Bruno Guimaraes equalizing midway through the opening period for the hosts.
Newcastle struggled to create too many clear openings after the break and were eventually punished by Kluivert after scoring his hat-trick in stoppage time, with Milos Kerkez adding a fourth in the 96th minute.
How the game played out
Newcastle looked to make history at St James' Park but they made a surprisingly slow start and were swiftly punished by Bournemouth. Having seen Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo spurn opportunities, Kluivert – whose father Patrick briefly played for Newcastle – unleashed a superb drive past Martin Dubravka to send the Cherries ahead after just six minutes.
Newcastle began to find their stride midway through the first half and benefited from some sustained pressure to find the equaliser. Lewis Hall's whipped corner landed on the head of the unmarked Guimaraes, whose effort curled beyond the weak outstretched palm of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
A hugely engrossing first half continued to raise pulses inside St James' Park as both sides traded blows. Bournemouth's Ouattara saw several half-chances come and go, while Anthony Gordon's deflected shot went past Kepa's near post at the other end.
Guimaraes had equalized for Newcastle but turned into a villain on the eve of the first half. The Brazilian delivered the ball deep into his own half and Bournemouth took full advantage, Ouattara feeding Kluivert and the Dutch forward slotting his second of the afternoon past Dubravka.
A couple of wild challenges sparked a melee just before the break as referee Stuart Attwell handed out three yellow cards, with Sandro Tonali almost grabbing Newcastle's second equalizer with the last kick of the half. The Italian's volley was denied by Kepa to round off a fascinating first half.
Bournemouth continued to play with impressive intensity after the half-time whistle and thought they had extended their lead on the hour mark. Ouattara converted David Brooks' cross from close range but the shot was rightly disallowed by VAR as the ball had gone offside earlier in the attack.
Newcastle couldn't cope with Bournemouth's speed and direct approach on the counter-attack and the Cherries almost scored a third in the 69th minute. Brooks' near-post shot forced Dubravka to scramble to his far post as he cleared the ball off the goal line to keep the hosts in the contest.
However, Dubravka was left helpless as the sensational Kluivert completed the points in the 92nd minute. Bournemouth won the ball high up the pitch and Tyler Adams' cut-back fell kindly for the Dutchman, who curled a superb effort past the Slovakian keeper.
However, Bournemouth didn't stop there. Only to further humiliate Newcastle, Kerkez decided to add his name to the scoresheet, curling an effort past Dubravka onto his favored left foot to ice an emphatic victory.
Newcastle looked unprepared from the kick-off at St James' and soon found themselves behind. The Magpies could not cope with Bournemouth's tough man-to-man approach as they regularly gave the ball away in their own half trying to play through their visitors.
Despite being ravaged by injuries, Bournemouth didn't let their energy levels drop for a second on Tyneside. The pressure caused a mistake from Guimaraes as they scored before the break, and their third came with a similar return of possession in stoppage time, hitting Newcastle from the Magpies' flag corner despite the clock running down.
The Magpies are usually the team to overcome their opponents with a powerful midfield, stubborn defense and speedy forwards, but they were beaten by Andoni Iraola's relentless Cherries on Saturday.
Alexander Isak was THE was a Premier League fixture for the past six weeks and went into Saturday's affair having scored in his previous eight league games. However, he barely had a sniff against Bournemouth's imposing centre.
Illia Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen both produced outstanding performances to keep Newcastle's fearsome forward line at bay, with Isak notching just a single shot and an expected goals total of just 0.06 on Saturday lunchtime.
Few defenses have been able to stifle the Swede, but Bournemouth did just that, forcing him out and scrambling when necessary. With Jamie Vardy's 11-game goal streak, Isak will have to start all over again if he wants to set a new Premier League record.
Bournemouth were relentless in pressing Newcastle all over the pitch, but their tactics only worked because of their relentlessness on the break. The likes of Brooks, Ouattara and Semenyo all shone with their pace as the Cherries surged up the pitch with the upset, even if it was Kluivert who will be in the headlines after a deftly executed hat-trick and display of exceptional.
The Cherries proved too devastating for a surprisingly disjointed Newcastle defence, which struggled to cope with direct runs and raw pace. Their clinical edge carried them to victory and gave them a well-deserved win at a tough venue.
Bournemouth's midfield must also take a lot of credit, winning the ball back with regularity, but it was the front four who decided the game with their courage and ingenuity in the final third.