Newcastle United kept their Champions League knockout hopes on track with a commanding 3-0 win over PSV Eindhoven at St James’ Park.
The result propelled Eddie Howe’s side into the top eight of the group
stage standings, level on points with Paris Saint-Germain ahead of a decisive final match in France.
Yoane Wissa marked his first Champions League start with an early opener, while Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes completed the scoring in a night dominated by Newcastle’s high press and PSV’s defensive lapses.
Wissa opened the scoring inside eight minutes, capitalizing on a poor clearance from PSV keeper Matej Kovar that allowed Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton to combine and set up a simple finish.
The second came just after the half-hour mark as Yarek Gasiorowski’s errant backpass was pounced on by Wissa, who teed up Gordon to slot into an empty net for his sixth goal in the competition. After the break, Barnes finished a flowing move with a low drive to seal the result.
The win, however, was tempered by the sight of captain Bruno Guimaraes limping off just before halftime with an ankle injury.
Howe confirmed post-match that swelling had already developed, calling it a “worry” and emphasizing Guimaraes’ importance ahead of a brutal run of fixtures against Aston Villa, PSG, Liverpool, and Manchester City.
Wissa, named Player of the Match, said, “It was a special night. Scoring and assisting, I’m really pleased with that. The main thing was to press them high, we did it well.”
Howe praised his team’s “really good performance” and highlighted Wissa’s impact, saying, “He came to this club for nights like today.”
Newcastle now turn their attention to Aston Villa as they will host the Villans at SJP on a Sunday Premier League matchup.
