That’s it for today. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to check out the Chelsea v Crystal Palace FA Cup semi-final live blog.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has his say.
“We were much the better team, controlled most of the game, scored a very good goal and had lots of really good moments in the game. Physically we were excellent given that we’d played Thursday. The message always is that if you control the ball you control the game and for some reason right at the end we decided to go long with it and then we give it away and then they have a breakaway. It was very harsh on us as I thought some of our play and pressing in the game was excellent.”
Eddie Howe gives his thoughts after Newcastle’s eighth win in 12 games.
“My emotions are obviously very high after that. To score so late in the game is a massive, massive lift for everybody. I thought we had the best chances in the game, I thought Leicester probably had control of the game but we had some really good moments in it. I thought our defensive resilience in the second half as Leicester had control of the ball was excellent. We hung in there and made it difficult for them to penetrate us and we got rewarded for that by the counter-attack goal at the end.”
And on Bruno Guimaraes. “He’s certainly popular and rightly so after today’s performance. I thought he was magnificent in every discipline of the game.”
“What a feeling!” says Bruno Guimaraes. “I don’t have words. It was always my dream to play in the Premier League. I’m so happy for today. It was so incredible, I want to be a legend here.”
As for the winner, he adds: “It was my first goal with the head. Really! When I saw the ball, I don’t think two times.”
As for his early thoughts on Newcastle. “This is my home. I want to play a hundred million times here.” He corrects it to “a hundred” but let’s forgive him the exaggeration. “I love the support of the fans,” he adds. A thoroughly nice chap.
Am just re-reading some entries and correcting the spelling of Saint-Maximin. I always end his name with ‘m’ rather than ‘n’. We all have them. My fingers also write Untied for United. Anyway, let’s hear what Bruno Guimaraes has to say.
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Man-of-the-match and a new hero status confirmed.
GET IN!! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/NGsa0NLdA9
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 17, 2022
No team in the last five seasons has been relegated with 37 points and that’s Newcastle’s tally now. It’s 12 clear of third-bottom Burnley, who drew 1-1 at West Ham. Leicester stay ninth and their focus is now on Europe.
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Full-time: Newcastle 2-1 Leicester
It’s over and Newcastle, in a dramatic late twist, have recorded their fifth straight home Premier League win in succession. And in one blow, Alan Smith’s man-of-the-match dilemma is solved as Guimaraes bags his second of the game. That’s surely the Magpies safe now. It’s harsh on Leicester but credit to Newcastle for coming up with something in a game that had looked to be going nowhere for the last 20 minutes.
90+5 min Willock does superbly down the left to dart past Tielemans. He gallops to the touchline and his deflected left-foot cross is met by a dramatic diving header from Guimaraes, who powers the ball into the back of the net. What a finish!! Bedlam at St James Park!!
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GOAL! Newcastle 2-1 Leicester (Guimaraes 90+5)
My word!!!
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90+4 min Maddison’s corner is glanced away by Joelinton and Guimaraes completes the clearance.
90+3 min Leicester win a corner after a rather clumsy header from Burn.
90+2 min Maddison sprays a few passes with the outside of his right foot. That’s all that’s happening now really.
90 min Newcastle bring on Gayle for Saint-Maximin. Not his best day. There will be four minutes of added time.
88 min Both sides can’t keep the ball for more than about three passes now. A particularly poor spell of play ends with Krafth taking a whack as he clears. The Swede gets to his feet after a thumbs-up and play continues.
87 min Alan Smith is asked to give his man-of-the-match award but it stumps the ex-Leicester and Arsenal man. “How long have I got?” he asks. It’s a fair question. No-one has really stood out.
85 min Barnes skips down the left and finds Dewsbury-Hall in the area. His cross is blocked just as Iheanacho tries one of those between the legs flicks. Good defending by Newcastle and they do look a much more solid outfit at the back these days.
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84 min I may have incorrectly awarded a yellow card to Targett earlier. I can definitely confirm that Krafth has just been shown one though.
82 min Eight minutes left and this is fading towards a bog-standard 1-1 draw. Does Maddison have a bit of magic in him? Could Saint-Maximin finally get a shot on target? I’m clutching at straws really.
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80 min Alarm bells in Leicester as their team concede a corner. Targett whips it in and Burn, despite being a fairly conspicuous presence at 9ft 7in tall, is left totally unmarked. Thankfully for Leicester he mistimes his header and it floats harmlessly up in the air.
79 min An equaliser for West Ham against Burnley as Soucek makes it 1-1. Cornet missed a penalty for the visitors earlier.
77 min Tielemans does well down the right but then hoofs his cross out for a goalkick. Rodgers is trying another roll of the dice so brings on Iheanacho for the subdued Daka.
76 min Soyuncu launches a counter-attack by picking the pocket of Guimaraes. The pace slows down again and transforms into some Leicester keep-ball.
75 min A slight air that both sides are thinking a point wouldn’t be too bad. For Leicester, it’s a decent result on the back of their win over PSV. For Newcastle, it nudges them a point closer to mathematical safety.
73 min Saint-Maximin wins a throw in ridiculous fashion after keeping possession by hooking his leg around the corner flag and somehow keeping the ball in. A shame such dexterity comes to nothing.
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72 min Just a slight flat spell as both sides adjust to the substitutions.
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69 min Time for some Newcastle changes. Murphy and Willock on for Wood and Almiron.
67 min That’s quite the stat: Leicester have had 84% possession in the second half. They’ve also had 11 touches in the Newcastle box. The hosts have had precisely none down the other end.
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65 min Leicester replace Lookman with Barnes, a man with seven goal involvements in his last 12 Premier League games.
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64 min Quick, mesmerizing feet from Saint-Maximin and this time he attempts a pass when he might have been better off shooting. Huh, he just can’t get it right.
62 min Lookman keeps the ball in by the left corner flag before Dewsbury-Hall’s cross is cleared. Newcastle break and Saint-Maximin adds to his ‘poor effort on goal’ count with a dribbled effort that Schmeichel collects. There were better options there but the Frenchman seems determined to make a heroic contribution before the afternoon is out.
60 min Maddison is being prepped by Rodgers. Substitute time. On comes the creative midfielder for Perez, who is applauded off by his former fans. By contrast, a chorus of boos greet Maddison.
58 min Between all that Joelinton activity, there was a brief VAR check after Perez’s cross from the right was gobbled up by Dubravka. Was Perez fouled in the act of crossing? Apparently not.
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57 min The follow-up corner is headed away by Joelinton. Then the big man pops up at the other end and tries his luck but, as has been the pattern in the last 10 minutes, the shot is over the bar.
56 min Lookman turns sharply in the Newcastle box and goes to pull the trigger with the goal at his mercy but Targett gets a vital toe to the ball to block him. Leicester win a corner which Newcastle clear for another.
55 min Samba skills from Guimaraes down the right and it draws plenty of applause, as does his follow-up attempt to retrieve possession. He’s a popular figure here the Brazilian.
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54 min Stout defence from Newcastle as Leicester look for a shooting opportunity. The ball eventually breaks back to Dewsbury-Hall but his right-foot curler from the edge of the area is always rising over the bar.
53 min The Leicester subs are warming up and Rodgers might be tempted to shuffle his pack sooner rather than later. Maddison and Barnes are among those jogging up and down the touchline.
51 min Perez plays a little angled ball across the Newcastle box but it trickles out of play before Lookman can get there.
49 min From an almost identical position to his effort a couple of minutes ago, Saint-Maximim has another shot from distance. This one flies over the bar. Maybe he’s just getting his eye in.
49 min Almiron is holding his leg and needs some treatment. But, no, he gets up and shuffles back to the halfway line.
48 min Almiron does well down the right and is slightly fortunate to see his pass roll through to Saint-Maximin. The Frenchman cuts across a couple of players but then drags his shot wide from about 20 yards.
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47 min: No changes by either team at half-time. A reminder that Leicester are chasing a sixth straight win at St James Park.
46 min: Peep peep! Newcastle get the second period in play. Fun fact: both teams scored from their first corner of the game. Less fun for Leicester is that it was the 17th time this season in the Premier League that they’ve conceded from a set-piece. Rank: 20th.
Half-time: Newcastle 1-1 Leicester
Leicester try and see out the half with some possession but Newcastle press and it’s all a bit chaotic. That’s half-time though. Lovely goal from Leicester but Newcastle have had by far the better of it since and deserve to at least by level.
45+3 min Saint-Maximum twists and turns in the area but ties himself in knots and the bull runs harmlessly behind for a goalkick.
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45+2 min Almiron tries to twist his body and hit a half-volley towards goal from a left-wing cross but it’s a high tariff execution and the judges won’t give him many for that.
45 min The head injury to Burn and a couple of other stoppages mean there will be five added minutes.
44 min Dewsbury-Hall has a shot from distance, Leicester’s first effort in a while, but it’s straight down Dubravka’s throat. Not literally of course. This isn’t Tom and Jerry.
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43 min Newcastle have had six goal attempts since Leicester’s last effort so momentum is very much with the hosts as the game heads towards half-time.
42 min Guimaraes needs treatment but the Newcastle goalscorer - this was his first at home - is okay to continue.
40 min A bit of possession for Leicester before Newcastle win the ball and break through Saint-Maximin. He feeds a lovely ball inside the full-back to Joelinton but the Brazilian can’t get the ball out of his feet. He eventually does well to dig out a cross which Wood heads wide.
38 min In the other 2.15pm game, Burnley lead 1-0 at West Ham through Weghorst’s header.
36 min Tielemens heads away the corner but Newcastle recycle and Targett goes for goal with a far-post header but it’s straight into the arms of Schemichel.
35 min Another VAR check perhaps as Soyuncu tackles Wood in the area. Huge appeals but Gillett says ‘negatory’ and VAR sees no reason to overturn it. Certainly not a clear and obvious error. In less good news for Leicester, Newcastle have another corner.
33 min Bottom line, Leicester have conceded again from a corner. It appeared as if they’d staved off this latest set-piece calamity but ref Jarred Gillett and his VAR team were right to award the goal.
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GOAL! Newcastle 1-1 Leicester (Guimaraes 30)
The goal stands! Initially it looked a foul but replays show Schmeichel didn’t have the ball under control and Guimaraes had every right to go for it.
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30 min Newcastle have the ball in the net but will it stand? Schmeichel blocks a close-range shot from Guimaraes but the Brazilian then has another poke at the ball from between the goalkeeper’s legs and prods it into the net. We’re going to VAR and, newsflash, it will be an onfield review!
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29 min Saint-Maximin’s square pass finds Joelinton whose 20-yard thump is blocked. Newcastle push again and finally win a corner.
27 min Saint-Maximim is growing into the game now and makes another forward thrust. But Dewsbury-Hall has been one of Leicester’s best performers in recent weeks and gets back to snuff out the danger. The Toon Army demand a free-kick but they won’t get it.
25 min Leicester break swiftly after a clever flick from Lookman this time. Newcastle cut out the first pass but the ball breaks back to Perez whose angled shot from 25 yards out deflects for a corner. This time, the Foxes can’t come up with anything sly.
23 min It’s gone a bit quiet here but then Saint-Maximin has his best little burst of the game so far and the decibel levels rise. He works space for a cross down the left but Leicester have men back to halt Guimaraes before the danger levels turn too far red.
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22 min Perez in the action again but this time it’s for needing treatment after a raking tackle from Targett, who is booked.
21 min Looking back at the goal, it really is a lovely flick from Perez. An outward turn of the ankle to deflect the ball into space and Lookman does the rest. It’s Perez’s first start since Boxing Day.
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GOAL! Newcastle 0-1 Leicester (Lookman 19)
A lovely goal for the visitors. One from the training ground. The corner is rolled along the floor to the near post, Perez gets a flick and the on-rushing Lookman sidefoots home from about eight yards out, his shot squirming underneath Dubravka’s dive.
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18 min Leicester win a corner, the first of the game I believe. They’re not very good at defending them but how about at the other end. Well, it goes rather well!!!
16 min Saint-Maximin has been quiet so far until now perhaps. He sets off on a weaving dribble towards the box but runs into traffic.
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14 min Schmeichel has to be quick off his line to come and hack the ball into touch as Almiron chases optimistically. Leicester clear before a diagonal pass from Krafth finds Joelinton galloping into the box but from just to the left edge of the six-yard box he blazes over the bar from a tight angle.
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11 min This time Shelvey goes down after taking a whack on the bonce from Dewsbury-Hall. From the free-kick, Soyuncu heads away but Burn twists and tries a volley in the box which is blocked. Leicester break but Newcastle quickly have runners to stop them.
10 min “From how he landed and stayed tense on the ground, it certainly looked like Burn was unconscious for a few seconds. Seems like nobody, from the medical staff to the officials to the pundits even contemplated that he might not be coming straight back on,” writes David Flynn. “If you listen closely you can hear Barry Glendenning saddling up his high horse. And rightly so.”
9 min Soyuncu concedes a free-kick near the halfway line as the rather stop-start opening to the game continues. Newcastle float it to the edge of the D but nothing doing.
7 min Newcastle win a throw near the left corner flag which Leicester clear. Burn, now back on, helps recycle possession before Almiron fouls Thomas near the Leicester box and the visitors win a free-kick.
5 min The first Saint-Maximin-inspired roar of expectation as the Frenchman chases a ball down the left but it goes out of play.
3 min A ball over the top causes panic in the Newcastle defence. Dubravka has to rush to the edge of the box with Daka in pursuit and the goalkeeper takes out Burn while trying to clear. Burn needs treatment and groggily gets to his feet. He appears to be holding his left shoulder.
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2 min Shelvey has a pop from the free-kick. It dips in front of Schmeichel but the Dane gathers safely.
1 min An early crunching tackle fro Dan Burn gets an early roar. Leicester than give the ball up and Amartey goes into the book after just 40 seconds for a foul on Almiron about 35 yards out.
1 min Peep peep! Both sides take a knee and Leicester kick off.
Here come the teams. Newcastle in black and white, Leicester in blue and white. No daft away kits or anything. The sun is shining. All is good.
A reminder of today’s teams.
Newcastle: Dubravka, Krafth, Schar, Burn, Targett, Shelvey, Joelinton, Guimaraes, Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Wood.
Subs: Darlow, Dummett, Lascelles, Ritchie, Fernandez, Murphy, Willock, Gayle, Longstaff.
Leicester: Schmeichel, Justin, Amartey, Soyuncu, Thomas, Mendy, Dewsbury-Hall, Tielemans, Lookman, Perez, Daka.
Subs: Jakupovic, Evans, Barnes, Maddison, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Choudhury, Pereira, Castagne.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe gives some chat to Sky Sports, discussing home form and any lingering relegation concerns.
“It’s been brilliant to play here in recent weeks and hopefully that’s the same again today. I think there’s a healthy pressure on them [the players] at the moment. I think there’s high expectations from everyone inside the club to perform at our best levels. There’s competition for places which is always a great thing for the squad and I think we’ve got a great group of professionals that know the job’s not done. We’re mentally ready to give our best.”
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers explains his team selection.
“The distance between the games, Thursday to Sunday, means we’re managing players coming back from long-term injuries so we have to do it. But also it means the guys that aren’t playing like James, Ricardo Pereira and Castagne, they’re not losing too much rhythm because we play again on Wednesday so it works well for the squad and I trust the players.”
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We have another 2.15pm kick-off in the Premier League today - West Ham v Burnley. The visitors have Michael Jackson in charge following the sacking of Sean Dyche.
As Richard Jolly points out on Twitter: “Big musical news as Michael Jackson drops Lennon.”
West Ham: Fabianski, Diop, Dawson, Johnson, Cresswell, Bowen, Rice, Lanzini, Soucek, Vlasic, Antonio.
Burnley: Pope, Collins, Tarkowski, Taylor, Lowton, McNeil, Cornet, Cork, Westwood, Rodriguez, Weghorst.
On this day 16 years ago, Alan Shearer did this. The Newcastle Twitter feed is more than happy to share it given the opposition.
🙋♂️ #OnThisDay in 2006...@alanshearer scored his 206th #NUFC goal in his final appearance for the club in a 4-1 win at the Stadium of Light.
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 17, 2022
⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/WoY41YPaMC
Leicester have one of their own although, strictly speaking, it was yesterday.
A famous #OnThisDay, 25 years ago! 🏆
— Leicester City (@LCFC) April 16, 2022
We lifted the League Cup after Steve Claridge struck in extra time at Hillsborough 🦊 pic.twitter.com/m4CwI4SIhi
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Plenty of other big games going on today and you can follow them right here.
- Arsenal v Chelsea: Women’s FA Cup semi - Rob Smyth
- Celtic v Rangers: Scottish Cup semi - John Brewin
And, of course, we’ll also have the second men’s FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Crystal Palace later today (4.30pm BST). The prolific Rob Smyth is on that one too.
Team news
The teams are in. Lots of changes for Leicester and only three of the starting XI against PSV on Thursday retain their places.
For Newcastle, Ryan Fraser hasn’t recovered from a hamstring strain so Miguel Almiron comes in.
🚨 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠-𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 17, 2022
HWTL! ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/E6zYewCIdu
A look at the Foxes' line-up for #NewLei 📝 pic.twitter.com/So4EXRZ0sc
— Leicester City (@LCFC) April 17, 2022
Preamble
Here’s an unlikely fact: Leicester have won their last five Premier League matches at St James’ Park. The aggregate score over that time? 15-4. But here’s a counter punch: Newcastle’s average points per home game in 2022 is 2.6 and that’s second only to Liverpool in a table of such things.
Both sides have certainly picked up in the last couple of months with Leicester winning seven and drawing two of their latest 11 games, the most recent a 2-1 win at PSV in the Europa Conference League.
Newcastle suffered a trio of away defeats at Chelsea, Everton and Spurs but bounced back to beat Wolves 1-0 last weekend. That was the win that probably ended any lingering relegation talk although, in his Bournemouth days, Magpies boss Eddie Howe was relegated with the same number of points that Newcastle are on now (34). He’ll want at least one more in the bag to make him feel nice and secure.
A game where all three results seem genuinely possible is never a bad thing so let’s see what Eddie and Brendan can serve up.
Kick-off is at 2.15pm BST.
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