All Whites striker Chris Wood scored as Newcastle crushed Leicester 3-nil to climb to second in the Premier League as the competition returned following the World Cup break.
Chris Wood scored a goal for Newcastle as the Premier League kicked off again. Photo: AFP
Leicester defender Daniel Amartey got the match off to a terrible start for the hosts, gifting Newcastle a penalty when he chopped down Joelinton after 86 seconds, and Wood blasted the spot-kick into the middle of the net.
It was a welcome goal for the 31-year-old New Zealander, who was an injury replacement in the Newcastle lineup.
Newcastle's great start continued when Miguel Almiron added a brilliant second in the seventh minute, cutting in from the right before playing a one-two with Bruno Guimaraes and slotting the return pass in at the far post.
Despite the return of league football following the World Cup break, there was little Christmas cheer for the home fans as Joelinton made it 3-0 in the 32nd minute when Boubakary Soumare was caught ball-watching at a corner and the Brazilian headed home.
In one of the first half's few bright attacking moments for the home side, Leicester striker Patson Daka had a shout for a penalty turned down after a clash with keeper Nick Pope, but all too often the Zambian's decision-making let him down.
The introduction of Jamie Vardy at the break gave Leicester's attack a focal point that was sorely lacking in the first half, but Newcastle's well-organised defence restricted them to shots from distance that were easily dealt with.
Newcastle climbed above Manchester City, who play Leeds United on Wednesday, into second place on 33 points, four behind leaders Arsenal, who take on West Ham United later on Monday. Leicester are 13th on 17 points.
"Coming here, knowing how difficult it was going to be, the start was really important to us. The first half an hour we were excellent. It's a trademark goal for Miggy (Miguel Almiron) and a really good team move," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe told the BBC.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers was far from impressed with his side.
"The start of the game was clearly disappointing, we were so slow, our attitude was really poor, before we know it we're 2-0 down," he told Amazon Prime.
"We lacked many things today, they were way better than us from the start of the game."
Meanwhile, With Arsene Wenger watching from the stands, Arsenal came from behind to see off West Ham United 3-1 at home move seven points clear at the top of the standings.
Wenger was back at the Emirates Stadium for the first time since leaving the club in 2018 after 22 years in charge and saw Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah score in a rousing second-half comeback after a Said Benrahma penalty had given West Ham the lead.
The victory maintained Arsenal's 100% home record in the league this season and lifted them to 40 points from 15 games, seven clear of second-placed Newcastle United, who have played 16 matches. They are eight ahead of third-placed Manchester City, who have played 14.
Benrahma sent Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way from the spot to put West Ham in front in the 27th minute after a foul by William Saliba on Jarrod Bowen.
The hosts were awarded a spot-kick at the end of the first half for handball against Aaron Creswell before referee Michael Oliver overturned his decision after a VAR review, ruling that the ball had struck the defender in the face.
Saka equalised from close range in the 53rd minute while Martinelli smashed the ball inside the near post six minutes later to put Arsenal in front.
Striker Nketiah, making his first league start of the season in the place of injured Gabriel Jesus, added a third in the 69th and Arsenal kept pushing to score again.
Elsewhere, Harry Kane overcame his World Cup penalty pain by helping Tottenham Hotspur recover to draw 2-2 at Brentford while
Liverpool got their league campaign back up and running with a 3-1 victory at Aston Villa with teenager Stefan Bajcetic joining Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk on the scoresheet.
Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui got off to a strong start in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers after his side came from behind to sink Everton 2-1 with a last-gasp goal and increase the pressure on Frank Lampard.
Fulham eased to a 3-0 win at Crystal Palace, who had two players sent off, while Brighton & Hove Albion earned a comfortable 3-1 win at Southampton.
Fourth-placed Tottenham got off to a nightmare start at Brentford but yet again staged a comeback, Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scoring in the space of six minutes in the second half to cancel out earlier strikes from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney.
It was Kane's first match since missing a penalty in England's quarter-final defeat to France in the World Cup and he showed that he had overcome that setback by scoring a thumping header.
Free-flowing Liverpool eased past Aston Villa to go sixth in the table.
Striker Salah tapped in the visitors' opener in the fifth minute after a sublime passing move from marauding wing-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson.
Defender van Dijk bagged Liverpool's second in the 37th minute with a superb left-footed shot after being set up by Salah. Ollie Watkins replied for Villa but 18-year-old Spanish midfielder Bajcetic squeezed in Liverpool's third.
"It was brilliant for him," Andy Robertson said of his teenage team mate after the match. "He's really stepped up his game and he was brilliant when he came on."
Former Real Madrid, Sevilla and Spain manager Lopetegui saw his Wolves side fall behind to an early goal from Everton's Yerry Mina but they equalised through Daniel Podence in the first half then snatched all three points thanks to a Rayan Ait-Nouri strike deep in added time.
The victory pulled Wolves off the bottom of the table and into 18th on 13 points, one point and one place below Everton.
Southampton sunk to the bottom after their defeat at home to Brighton, who moved up to sixth.
-Reuters