Newcastle United boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation to the Championship by hammering Southampton 3-0 at St. James' Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies needed a home win to boost their survival hopes, and got exactly what they wanted against a dismal Southampton side, whose own relegation woes have deepened.
Newcastle wasted no time in setting the tone, as Jonjo Shelvey picked out Kenedy inside the first two minutes, with the Brazilian wide man chesting ball over and around Cedric Soares before sticking the ball past Alex McCarthy for the opening goal.
Kenedy of Newcastle United celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton at St. James Park on March 10, 2018 in...
Rafael Benitez's men were in fine form in the first half and made it 2-0 in a slick counter attack, as Ayoze Perez found Dwight Gayle, who unselfishly squared the ball for Kenedy to bag his second of the game.
Matt Ritchie put the gloss on the win, side-footing home from the edge of the box having been teed up by Jonjo Shelvey, and Newcastle took all three points in a thumping 3-0 win.
The Magpies have now moved five points clear of the relegation zone and will be looking to confirm their Premier League status for next season in the coming weeks, with Saturday's win a real morale-booster.
Matt Ritchie of Newcastle United celebrates scoring his side's third goal with Jamaal Lascelles and Dwight Gayle during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton at...
After the final whistle, Newcastle defender Jamaal Lascelles took to Twitter to send a message to fans, who have been strongly campaigning for the centre back to win an England call-up.
Lascelles celebrated a 'very important win' as Newcastle prepare for three weeks without a Premier League game, and praised the support from the home fans as 'brilliant'.
Jamaal Lascelles
✔
@Lascelles16
Very important win going into the break. One of our best performances today! Atmosphere was brilliant 👏🏽
7:29 PM - Mar 10, 2018