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FINALLY, on their fifth relaunch, Newcastle have lift off.
Ryan Fraser and Kieran Trippier were the heroes as the Magpies climbed out of the bottom three and dragged Everton deep into the mire.
Toon haven’t known what it’s like to be clear of the relegation zone since September - but Geordie Arabia are on the march now.
It was supposed to be like this once the Saudi Arabians came to Toon four months ago.
But their first game fell flat, just like it did after Steve Bruce was sacked.
Eddie Howe’s appointment hardly saw a new manager bounce, while they were dumped out of the FA Cup by Cambridge on Trippier’s debut.
But here, after becoming the biggest spenders in Europe thanks to their £92million splurge in January, they can now start looking up - as Everton get that sinking feeling.
At 1-1, Fraser struck with his first league goal for Newcastle before Trippier wrapped it up with a peach of a 25-yard free-kick.
Before that came one of the most bizarre passages of play in Prem history.
Two own goals in 107 seconds, with the same two players involved in both incidents.
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Jamaal Lascelles first bundled into his own net after Mason Holgate’s effort was cleared off the line.
The Magpies skipper then got his sweet revenge, powering a header off the bar at the other end - only for it to rebound off Holgate’s thigh and in.
With back-to-back wins for the first time since last May, Howe’s Mags have some momentum at last.
It moves them up to 17th and a point behind Frank Lampard’s side, who are now well and truly in a relegation scrap.
Lampard became the first Everton manager since Gordon Lee in 1977 to lose his first league game.
None of the last 12 permanent managers managed it, and if Lampard didn’t already know it, he faces an almighty challenge to turn the terrible Toffees around.
If there was fury in east London when Kurt Zouma was named in West Ham’s side, it was deflation in the Tyneside air when the team sheets came out at 6:45pm.
Both Newcastle and Everton fans hoping to see their exciting January recruits in from the off to fire them up the league were left disappointed.
No £42million Bruno Guimaraes or Dan Burn - a doubt beforehand with a toe problem - for the hosts, and no Dele Alli or Donny van de Beek in the starting XI for the Toffees.
However, it’s nothing a couple of Newkie Broon’s can’t sort, with St James’ Park bouncing at kick off.
And there were deafening boos - as there always are here - within seconds when ex-Sunderland star Jordan Pickford got his hands on it.
The Toffees took the sting out of pumped up Toon but, with the stardust on the bench, it quickly descended into a scrappy slog - perfectly befitting of the two own goals in less than two minutes.
Before them, Alli - with a fresh short trim after cutting off the multicoloured locks - replaced the crocked Demarai Gray before Joelinton spurned the best early chance.
Moments later, Jonjo Shelvey was lucky to escape with just a yellow for a wild tackle on Richarlison - and then the madness truly began as Lascelles and Holgate took centre stage.
From the deep free-kick for Shelvey’s challenge the ball pinged around in the area before falling to Holgate.
The defender’s effort was cleared off the line but rebounded off the dozing Lascelles and into his own net.
The Toon skipper stood shell-shocked with his hands on his head, just wanting the St James’ Park to open and swallow him up.
But the footballing gods were smiling on him this time.
He attacked Kieran Trippier’s corner like his career depended on it, thumping a header through Pickford but off the bar.
And this time it was Holgate’s turn to look the dummy as the ball hit his thigh from a yard out and in.
If all that wasn’t mad enough, next up came one of the comedy moments of the season as Joelinton did what seemingly only he can.
Set up brilliantly by Allan Saint-Maximin down the right, the very untypical Brazilian somehow tripped and, on the way down, spooned the ball into his own face.
Saint-Maximin will never stop dancing and weaving though, and his dart down the left put Newcastle ahead 56 minutes in.
Alli was the Toffee culprit, giving the ball away on the halfway line.
The ball was worked left to Saint-Maximin, who drove to the byline and saw his cross deflected and loop up into the six-yard box.
It somehow reached ‘Wee man’ Fraser among a bundle of bodies, with the Scot nudging it in on the volley for his first goal since October 2020.
Hardly a crisp strike, Andros Townsend could have done better on the line but, like everything that had gone before in this match, cleared it into his face and over the line.
Van de Beek was summoned off the bench as Lampard desperately searched for a response.
But they had nothing, and Trippier secured the points 80 minutes in with a delicious free-kick in front of England boss Gareth Southgate.
Twenty-five yards out to the right of centre, the England full-back curled a wicked low effort around the wall and past the despairing Pickford.
It was party time in Newcastle now, with Guimaraes bought on at the death to lap up the rousing reception from the delirious Toon Army.
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