Van Nistelrooy in gloomy mood after Newcastle blow away flimsy Leicester | Premier League

For Newcastle United, the comedown can wait. Eddie Howe’s side jumped to fifth in the Premier League to intensify their push for the Champions League after dismantling a sorry Leicester City, a club with a decision to make.

Newcastle’s business was in effect complete after 34 minutes, courtesy of two goals by Jacob Murphy and one from Harvey Barnes. For Leicester, it is now a record eight home defeats in a row without scoring and 15 losses in their past 16 matches. Such damning statistics do not bode well for Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Afterwards the noises from Van Nistelrooy were ominous. Asked whether he had the fight to continue, the Dutchman said: “It’s important to analyse this and sleep on it and recover.” Asked if he was committed to the job for the season, he replied: “The most important thing is the club and these players, that’s what I would say for now.” He repeated his previous answer when pushed whether he would carry on.

As Newcastle’s supporters sang of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Leicester fans faced up to the reality of trips to Preston and Portsmouth. “Say hello to Sunderland,” came the call. They have known for a while. Judging by the swathes of empty seats, many locals voted with their feet. Others have long since checked out. Leicester could be relegated as early as Easter Sunday. Until the second half fizzled out, it felt plausible that Newcastle could chalk up their biggest win, eclipsing an 8-0 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane 18 months ago.

It has been a fine few weeks for Howe and Newcastle, backing up their first major trophy in 70 years with successive league victories. “It was a big question mark: how do we react to the big high that we had?” Howe said. “The players have responded magnificently. It is a real tick in the box for our psychology.”

The Newcastle manager said another reset is required, with three games in six days from Sunday, the first at home to Manchester United. “We need to keep that fine balance between confidence and needing to improve, because there are areas that haven’t been perfect. We need to look to continue to grow.”

Undoubtedly the most enjoyable moment from a Leicester perspective was the arrival of the sought-after 15-year-old Jeremy Monga, who juggles school with first-team training. The youngster, wearing the No 93, entered for his debut in the 74th minute wearing a shirt without a sponsor owing to Leicester’s partnership with BC Game, a betting company. The other highlight was the opportunity to relive better days by singing Barnes’s name after he made it game, set and match.

Leicester’s “Foxes never quit” motto was again under the microscope early on. Last Wednesday it was Jack Grealish after 70 seconds and this time Leicester’s defence held out a bit longer, with Murphy scoring his first goal with 115 seconds played. Jamie Vardy had prompted Nick Pope into action inside 11 seconds but from there it was a matter of how many Newcastle would finish up with.

Newcastle mauled Leicester in midfield. The visitors profited to score their first; Bruno Guimarães was too strong for Wilfred Ndidi, Joelinton kept Boubakary Soumaré at arm’s length and Barnes spied Tino Livramento on the overlap. Livramento sent the ball towards the back post and Murphy side-footed in. For the 26th time in 31 league matches, Leicester had conceded the first goal.

Leicester were so brittle it seemed Newcastle could score with every attack. The second goal, on 11 minutes, stemmed from Fabian Schär cracking the crossbar with a shot from inside his own half. Schär’s effort cannoned towards Murphy, who could afford a rusty first touch. The ball bobbled off his left knee but he soon found the net. “[It] only took me about seven touches to get it under and stick it in,” Murphy said. He could afford to smile.

Leicester? Not so much. “You’re not fit to wear the shirt,” came the chant from the increasingly apathetic home support. Bilal El Khannouss tested Pope from a tight angle after a rare attack but Newcastle responded by adding a third. Barnes started and finished the move, dribbling across the pitch with conviction. Joelinton took over the baton and then chopped inside Wout Faes before forcing Mads Hermansen into a save. Barnes was alive in the box to dispatch the rebound.

Leicester adopted damage-limitation mode at the Etihad Stadium but here Van Nistelrooy’s half-time changes at least appeared positive, with Facundo Buonanotte and Stephy Mavididi introduced. Newcastle grew a little lax – as if they had privately declared – but Leicester could not punish them. Faes flashed a header wide in stoppage time but it was another unhappy ending.