Newcastle United fans are unlikely to find even the richest, most indulgent Easter egg remotely as satisfying as the evening that rubber-stamped their team’s Premier League status for another season. A yellow card that should have been red, a smart second half switch to 4-4-2, two clever substitutions and four dramatic goals, three of them scored by Ayoze Pérez, this was a game that kept on giving.Indeed it was so good that for 90 minutes home fans all but forgot about the enduring impasse between Rafael Benítez and Newcastle’s owner, Mike Ashley, over negotiations to extend a managerial contract that expires in June. By the final whistle Pérez had registered his first hat-trick in English football and nagging, albeit slim, relegation worries still lingered on for a Southampton side who started and finished badly but impressed in between. Related: Newcastle United 3-1 Southampton: Premier League – live! Continue readingreadfullarticle
