First half blitz gives Newcastle thrilling 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest

NEWCASTLE, England : Newcastle United scored four goals in 11 first-half minutes to keep alive their Champions League qualification hopes with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Nottingham Forest at St James’ Park on Sunday but had to hold on under heavy pressure in the second period.

Newcastle move into fifth place with 44 points from 26 games, outside the top four on goal difference only. High-flying Forest lost for the second week in a row but remain in third with 47 points from the same number of matches.

Forest led early through Callum Hudson-Odoi's long-range strike but Newcastle roared into life with four quick goals from 18-year-old Lewis Miley, Jacob Murphy and a brace from Alexander Isak, the first a penalty, which gave them a 4-1 halftime lead.

Forest were the better side in the second period and created numerous chances against a nervous home team, as Nikola Milenkovic netted and a late goal by Ryan Yates almost earned the visitors what would have been a deserved point.

"It was a brilliant first half, the reaction after conceding was really good," Isak told SkySports. "We dropped a bit second half and conceded sloppy goals. I'm obviously happy to win the game.

"The most important thing was to win. We want to win more comfortably but it was a big win."

It was the proverbial game of two halves, with Newcastle utterly dominant in the first but then meek in the second.

The home side had five shots on target in the first half and none in the second in a performance that will give manager Eddie Howe plenty of food for thought despite the three points.

Forest led inside six minutes when Hudson-Odoi drilled a low shot from 30 metres into the bottom left corner, before Newcastle seized control with a goal blitz that started midway