Callum Wilson scored twice and Matt Ritchie had two assists as Newcastle United stunned Leicester City 4-2 at the King Power Stadium on Friday to essentially seal the Magpies safety.
Joe Willock scored in his fourth-straight appearance and Paul Dummett scored for the fourth time in his 198-appearance Newcastle career.
The Magpies move into 13th place, a dozen points clear of 18th-place Fulham.
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Marc Albrighton scored a powerful goal in the 80th minute for Leicester and Kelechi Iheanacho added one seven minutes later, but Leicester’s top-four hopes are in growing danger of falling apart for the second-straight season.
Leicester is two points ahead of fourth-place Chelsea and five clear of West Ham,with both teams holding matches-in-hand.
The Foxes forced six saves out of Martin Dubravka, but Schmeichel only made one very good stop.
Three things we learned from Leicester City – Newcastle
1. Willock makes his case to Arsenal… and the rest of the PL: Willock’s loan stint at Newcastle has now seen him score four goals in his last four matches and five in the half-season. The 21-year-old did damage in the Europa League for Arsenal with three goals and three assists but did not get any PL tie after making 29 appearances last season. If Mikel Arteta doesn’t have plans for Willock, someone will.
2. The Foxes refuse to seal the top four deal (again): Last season saw Leicester City in second-place after 21 matches and third after 33 but the Foxes managed just four of 15 points down the stretch to bow out of Champions League qualification on the season’s final day. That run included a 4-1 loss at Bournemouth, and this loss is going to feel similar if Brendan Rodgers’ men stumble down the stretch.
It hasn’t been quite as dramatic this season, but the Foxes have opened the third-place door as Friday’s result makes them 4W-2D-4L in their last 10 matches. Even worse? The Foxes drew at Southampton and gave up four to Newcastle, the two matches of promise on their PL run-in. A trip to Manchester United is next on Tuesday, then two with Chelsea — the FA Cup Final on Saturday before a league visit to Stamford Bridge — before finishing with Tottenham at the King Power. Could they possibly be back in the Europa League?
3. Paul Dummett: One-hundred and ninety-eight appearances for Newcastle. That’s how many matches it’s taken for 29-year-old Paul Dummett to score four senior goals, double what he did in a season on loan at St. Mirren. The gigantic center back made Wesley Fofana’s bad day worse with a towering header and the explosive and rare goal continues to underscore how wild of a season this has been for the Magpies.
Man of the Match: Callum Wilson
Martin Dubravka was wonderful but Wilson could’ve had an assist on top of his brace if Saint-Maximin wasn’t denied by an excellent Schmeichel save. Callum Wilson’s uneven last season saw his Premier League production dip from a career-best 14 goals and 10 assists in 2,535 minutes to eight goals and three assists as Bournemouth spun into the Championship. Despite two lengthy injury absences for the Magpies, the 29-year-old Wilson has now scored 12 goals after scoring Newcastle’s third and fourth.
Leicester City – Newcastle United recap
Leicester had a moment early through James Maddison, though the visitors made their presence felt through an acute-angled free kick that allowed Matt Ritchie three chances to swing the ball into the box.
Then it was a Jonjo Shelvey free kick from the right that Federico Fernandez headed just wide of the far post.
Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin were 2v2 with Wesley Fofana and Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel, with Wilson passing through Fofana’s legs but the keeper making an excellent save on Saint-Maximin.
Willock got the Magpies on the board and lead was well-deserved when the Arsenal loanee caught Caglar Soyuncu unaware and dribbled into the box to cut the ball past Schmeichel in the 23rd minute.
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Leicester responded and Fofana snapped a header on goal that Martin Dubravka palmed away for Shelvey’s clearance.
Miguel Almiron wanted a penalty kick after Timothy Castagne chopped him down in the box and VAR stayed with the awarding of a corner kick.
Another corner kick followed, and Dummett rose well above Fofana to thump the header through Schmeichel’s extended hand.
Leicester found some footing in the second half and Maddison’s well-taken Youri Tielemens-won free kick took a slight turn off the wall.
Wilson then scored off a long run to meet a Ritchie feed, and then Almiron set up Wilson’s second.
Leicester did not quit, and Albrighton smoked a shot home from 16 yards before Iheanacho stayed hot with a second goal, but Dubravka made a tremendous close-range save on a powerful Ayoze Perez shot at the edge of stoppage time.
