Newcastle United defeated Everton convincingly 4-1 on Thursday at Goodison Park to keep up their pursuit of a spot in the UEFA Champions League for the following season.

Joelinton and Jacob Murphy added the other two goals for the Magpies, and Callum Wilson scored twice. Everton, who are currently two points out of safety and risk being sent to the Championship, had little comfort from the snuck-in Dwight McNeil corner.

Despite an impressive start by the hosts, no side has scored fewer goals than Everton in the Premier League this season, and they were once again made to pay for their lack of cutting edge. The Toffees were unlucky not to have equalized when Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a delicate dink over Nick Pope ruled out narrowly for offside.

Newcastle took the lead on 28 minutes when Callum Wilson pounced on a parry by Jordan Pickford after Joelinton’s shot. Joelinton doubled the lead with a simple header from Joe Willock’s cross before Wilson curled in a brilliant third goal from outside the box.

Even when Everton did finally find the net through Dwight McNeil’s corner, it was a fluke as the ball wrong-footed his former Burnley teammate Nick Pope.

Within a minute, Newcastle added a fourth goal as Alexander Isak came off the bench to lead the Everton defence a merry dance before teeing up Jacob Murphy to tap into an unguarded net.

The result means Newcastle United opened up an eight-point cushion over fifth-placed Aston Villa with a game in hand still to come, leaving them well-placed for a top-four finish. Everton, on the other hand, remain in the relegation zone and now need a miracle to save their Premier League status.