Miguel Almirón spent most of his first three years at Newcastle struggling to score but something has changed this season and it could yet propel Eddie Howe’s side into Europe.
The Paraguayan’s fifth goal of the campaign, a sumptuous first-time chip curled over a helpless Jordan Pickford, kept a Newcastle team beaten only once this season on track while consigning Frank Lampard’s Everton to a miserable night in the north-east.
As a former Sunderland goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford is always greeted by an often seemingly incessant soundtrack of boos here and, apparently rather relishing it, he responded by taking a an early goal kick in apparent slow motion.
Pickford’s teammates initially looked to be under instructions to sit deep and endeavour to hit Newcastle on the break. This dictated that Dominic Calvert-Lewin, making his first start of the season since recovering from a troublesome knee injury acquired on the eve of the campaign, needed to be patient – and willing to track back.