Newcastle v Everton player ratings: Trippier 8, Almiron 8; Gray 7, Calvert-Lewin 5

Miguel Almiron continued his fine form with a superb curling finish as Newcastle United beat Everton 1-0 at St James' Park on Wednesday.

The Paraguayan midfielder's fifth goal of the season – and his fourth in four games – helped extend Newcastle's unbeaten run to six matches as the Magpies maintained their top-six spot in the Premier League.

Midfielder Bruno Guimaraes almost scored twice after Almiron's first-half strike against a lacklustre Everton side who failed to register a shot on target.

"It was a massive win for us," said home captain Kieran Trippier. "We've had a good spell recently and we want to keep pushing up the league and competing at the top of the table. We didn't perform to our best today but we grinded out the result.

"Ever since the gaffer has come here, and myself, it has been a positive place to be. We are performing well. The last two games not really, but we are still getting the results we want. Long may that continue."

Everton, for whom striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin played 73 minutes in his first start of the season, were decidedly second-best before the break and fortunate to be just a single goal behind.

Jacob Murphy’s dipping eighth-minute strike gave Jordan Pickford some concern in the Everton goal and then the former Sunderland keeper comfortably saved a Callum Wilson header soon after.

Calvert-Lewin mustered Everton’s only attempt at goal with a header from Demarai Gray’s 26th-minute corner, but cleared the crossbar by some distance, and Seamus Coleman had to hack away Wilson’s cross with Murphy waiting to pounce two minutes later.

The home side took the lead 14 minutes before the break when, after Murphy had headed Trippier’s ball back across goal, it was fed out to Guimaraes, whose pass