Newcastle United climbed to third in the Premier League by thrashing Crystal Palace 5-0, taking control of the race for Champions League football.

Taking full advantage of its game in hand, Newcastle was 4-0 up by half-time at a jubilant St James' Park.

They went ahead through one of the goals of the season 14 minutes in, Jacob Murphy sending a rocket of a shot inside Dean Henderson's near post from an acute angle.

But the game got away from Palace within the space of two dramatic first-half minutes. They had a golden chance to level when Nick Pope came out to punch and clattered Chris Richards, with a penalty awarded after a VAR review.

But Eberechi Eze's tame kick was held by Pope, and less than 120 seconds later, former Newcastle target Marc Guehi turned Harvey Barnes' cutback into his own net.

Barnes capped a devastating counter-attack to make it 3-0, then Fabian Schar headed Murphy's deep free-kick home deep into first-half stoppage time for 4-0.

Alexander Isak's curler rounded off the scoring in the 58th minute, and Palace never looked like scoring a consolation as they slipped to back-to-back defeats.

Newcastle – again had Jason Tindall in the dugout as Eddie Howe continues to recover from pneumonia – are now two points clear of fourth-placed Nottingham Forest, while Palace stay 12th in the table.