Newcastle and the most closely-monitored metatarsal since Beckham

There may still somehow be more than three months to go until the end of the Premier League season, but this felt like a big weekend for the relegation battle (or lack thereof). Frank Lampard got one over on old adversaries Leeds with his new club, Frank Lampard’s Everton, while the scrappy, last-on-Match-of-the-Day stalemate between Brentford and Crystal Palace allowed pundits to quickly mutter that both sides will be fine before Gary Lineker wrapped up.

For the current bottom three, results were not so encouraging. Norwich started well enough before their game with Manchester City turned into a long, gruelling chapter of Raheem Sterling’s Soccer Skills. Despite 82 years of management experience between them, neither Roy Hodgson nor Claudio Ranieri can get Watford to defend properly. Burnley, with one win in 21, still have those games in hand.

Above them, in 17th place and rising, are Newcastle United. After one league victory all season, Eddie Howe’s team have now won three in a row, restoring a feelgood factor not seen at St James’ Park since about 2005. Newcastle made four January signings, but it is the first recruit that has stood out the most – far from simply whipping the ball in the direction of Chris Wood, Kieran Trippier has brought necessary set-piece skills and helped tighten the defence.

The only player to score against Newcastle in those three wins was Jamaal Lascelles, replaced by Dan Burn against Aston Villa, with Trippier taking the captain’s armband as the Saudi-backed revolution began in earnest. This being Newcastle, however, no sooner had Trippier’s deflected free-kick winner moved them four points clear of the drop zone than their new leader was limping off the field. The club confirmed on Monday