Alexander Isak’s rich vein of form continued as Newcastle beat Tottenham to boost their hopes of European football next season.
The striker now has 17 goals in 24 Premier League appearances this season.
Anthony Gordan and Fabian Schar were also on target for the Magpies, while Timo Werner had two chances for Spurs but his finishing let him down.
Newcastle’s emphatic victory lifted them up to sixth in the table – above Manchester United, who drew 2-2 with Bournemouth, on goal difference.
Spurs dropped to fifth, below Aston Villa on goal difference.
Isak the latest in lineage of Newcastle strikers
From Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole to Malcolm Macdonald and Jackie Milburn, Newcastle’s fans have long held a special affinity for a goalscoring striker.
Isak may have the number 14 emblazoned on the back of his shirt, but the Sweden striker is cut from the same cloth as names typically associated with the fabled number nine.
In the Premier League era, only two men have scored in more successive games than Isak – Shearer (15) and Cole (eight) – to underline why he will quickly establish himself as a hero on Tyneside.
The double he scored in this one-sided victory over Spurs underlined his finishing prowess as Newcastle left the visitors dazed in the spring sunshine.
Isak opened the scoring after he received the ball from Gordon, cut inside, then powerfully struck a low shot into corner of the net.
The goal was the first scored since Newcastle introduced “sound shirts” which allow deaf fans to feel the noise of St James’ Park.
Newcastle captain Dan Burn used sign language to say “love the fans” during the celebrations that followed Isak’s strike.
Gordon added a second after he latched on to Pedro Porro’s miscued clearance, before Isak effectively made the points safe after the interval.
The 24-year-old initially looked to be offside when he burst through on goal, opened up his body and steered the ball past Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
A hat-trick evaded Isak – Schar added a fourth with a header from a Gordon corner – but he was firmly the name on the lips of those streaming out of the Gallowgate End at the full-time whistle.
Tottenham had failed to find the net in only one of their past 43 league matches before this encounter.
With Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City to play in four of their next five games, Spurs need to be more clinical to finish in the top four.
EPL: Newcastle Hammer Spurs To Boost European Chances
