Southampton go top with 2-0 win over Newcastle

Southampton moved into first place in England’s high flight for the primary time since 1988 after a snug 2-Zero house victory over Newcastle United within the Premier League on Friday.

Che Adams volleyed the hosts right into a seventh-minute lead and the one shock was that it took them till the 82nd minute to double their benefit as Stuart Armstrong fired into the online.

The margin of the defeat flattered Newcastle who provided subsequent to nothing as an attacking pressure.

Southampton’s fifth league win of the season, having misplaced their opening two video games, moved them to 16 factors from eight video games and above champions Liverpool on purpose distinction.

Newcastle are in 11th spot on 11 factors.

This time final yr Saints supervisor Ralph Hasenhuttl’s job regarded on the road after a 9-Zero thrashing at St Mary’s by Leicester City — a report away win within the English high flight.

But the transformation with just about the identical squad has been excellent and Southampton don’t look out place on high of the Premier League for the primary time.

They had been with out main scorer Danny Ings, who underwent knee surgical procedure after being injured in final week’s win over Aston Villa, however it didn’t blunt their attacking risk.

UNSTOPPABLE VOLLEY

Southampton swarmed throughout Newcastle from the beginning and it took them solely seven minutes to open the scoring.

Adams pressured a flying save from Karl Darlow however the guests didn’t clear the hazard and when Miguel Almiron misplaced possession to Theo Walcott, the previous England ahead teed up Adams to crash an unstoppable volley into the online.

Walcott, on a season-long mortgage from Everton, was on the coronary heart of Southampton’s finest moments and was inches away from doubling his facet’s lead moments earlier than halftime when his curling effort flew simply large of the put up.

It was an ideal night time for the 31-year-old who was enjoying his first house sport for Southampton since leaving the south coast membership to affix Arsenal as a teen in 2006.

Southampton’s relentless urgent sport hounded Newcastle into errors and the hosts twice went shut inside a minute after halftime. Jan Bednarek’s effort obtained cleared off the road after which Oriol Romeu’s shot was touched onto the bar by Darlow.

Walcott may have had a penalty earlier than Armstrong wrapped up the factors with a low end.

“It’s a fantastic achievement and honour to be part of it, this is where it all started for me,” Walcott instructed Sky Sports.

“We work hard for each other and we are there because of our performances. It was a worry at 1-0 because we had dominated so much. But Stuart getting the goal was much deserved.

“I’ve got some great memories here but I want to make some new ones.”