Newcastle United took a giant stride towards Champions League qualification after a sensational 6-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park.
Eddie Howe's side ripped apart their Premier League top-four rivals from the first whistle, scoring five times in the opening 21 minutes.
Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak both scored two, while Joelinton grabbed the other as Spurs capitulated in disastrous fashion.
Harry Kane managed to pull a goal back straight after half-time for the visitors only for substitute Callum Wilson to restore Newcastle's five-goal advantage moments after coming on.
The victory moved the Magpies ahead of Manchester United and up to third in the table on goal difference.
More importantly, it means Eddie Howe's side are now six points clear of Spurs in fifth while also enjoying a game in hand on the North London club.
Howe had demanded a response from his team after their 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa last week – and his players certainly did not let him down.
“That's the reaction we wanted and an incredible start,” said the Newcastle manager. “The crowd were incredible for us.
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Jacob Murphy celebrates after scoring Newcastle United's opening goal in their 6-1 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park on Sunday, Aprl 23, 2023. EPA -
Newcastle striker Alexander Isak makes it 4-0. AFP -
Alexander Isak celebrates scoring Newcastle's fifth goal. AFP -
Alexander Isak scores Newcastle's fifth goal. Getty -
Joelinton celebrates scoring Newcastle's second goal. Reuters -
Joelinton makes it 2-0 to Newcastle. AFP -
Harry Kane after scoring for Tottenham just after half-time. Getty -
Newcastle's Jacob Murphy makes it 1-0. PA -
Jacob Murphy celebrates scoring Newcastle's third goal. AFP -
Subsitute Callum Wilson scores Newcastle's sixth goal. Getty -
Callum Wilson celebrates after scoring for Newcastle. Reuters -
Harry Kane scores for Tottenham. Getty
“You don't expect that [result]. The quality of our finishing was incredible. They weren't stick-on goals. We were lethal in front of goal.
“Everything about our first half an hour was where we want to be.
“Since I walked through the door here the players have responded so well. I can't thank them enough.”
It was a humiliating afternoon on Tyneside for Spurs as caretaker manager Cristian Stellini could only look on in disbelief at the chaos that unfolded in that opening 20 minutes.
His decision to play a flat back four – with Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic as full-backs – instantly unravelled as Newcastle ripped apart the Spurs defence at will.
Midfielder Pape Sarr was replaced by central-defender Davinson Sanchez after just 23 minutes – but Newcastle were already 5-0 up by that point.
“It’s very embarrassing,” said goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who came off injured at half-time. “We should apologise to the fans. We didn’t show a good face and we could not match the performance of the Newcastle players.
“We were late in all aspects of the game and we completely missed the first part of the game. The second half is a different story but it’s really painful.
“It is not even about tactics, we just could not fight and we were late. I think Newcastle just had a great performance, they were very aggressive and offensive everywhere they had the ball.”
It was a truly shocking afternoon for Tottenham from the moment they allowed Joelinton to amble into the area and shoot, with Lloris unable to hold the ball and Murphy pouncing to fire in the rebound.
Fabian Schar then picked out Joelinton's run and the Brazilian glided around Lloris before slotting in.
Tottenham were then left stunned as Son Heung-min lost the ball and Murphy left Lloris standing with a powerful strike.
Swedish striker Isak got in on the act with a composed finish after being released by Joe Willock's superb pass and slotting in his second after Newcastle again scythed through a non-existent Tottenham defence.
It was the second-earliest a team had taken a five-goal lead in Premier League history after Manchester City scored five in the opening 18 minutes against Watford in 2019.
Tottenham managed to improve after the break with Harry Kane slotting in a consolation goal four minutes into the second half after brushing aside the challenge of Fabian Schar.
But Wilson scored Newcastle's sixth one minute after coming off the bench after good work from fellow substitute Miguel Almiron.
“It was my responsibility to decide how we play and we decided to do it differently because of the injuries,” said Stellini after the match.
“I have to take responsibility because once we changed system we played better, scored and showed fight. Its very difficult to understand why the first 25 minutes were so bad.”
