Newcastle sent out a statement and underlined their Champions League credentials with a 6-1 thrashing of Tottenham in the Premier League last weekend.
The Magpies tore apart Spurs in a ruthless first-half performance, one which saw Eddie Howe’s side lead 5-0 inside just 21 minutes. It was the second-quickest that a team has taken a five-goal lead in a Premier League fixture and just the 12th time a side has scored five goals in the first half.
Here is every team to have scored 5+ goals in the first half of a Premier League game
Everton 7-1 Southampton (1996)
Everton were the first team to score five goals inside the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League fixture, as the Toffees thrashed Southampton 7-1 at Goodison Park during the 1996/97 campaign.
Joe Royle’s side extended their unbeaten run to six games after a stunning performance against the Saints, one which saw Gary Speed score a hat-trick. Graham Stuart tapped home the opener after 12 minutes, before braces from Andrei Kanchelskis and Speed put Everton in firm control before the break, despite Egil Ostenstad’s reply for Southampton.
Nick Barmby scored the sixth eight minutes into the second half and Speed completed his hat-trick to complete the rout.
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Blackburn 7-2 Sheffield Wednesday (1997)
Blackburn kickstarted the 1997/98 season in fine form as Roy Hodgson’s side recorded four wins and a draw in five games in August.
The biggest win was a 7-2 humiliation of Sheffield Wednesday at Ewood Park. Rovers led 3-1 after just 10 minutes following Kevin Gallagher’s brace and a Graham Hyde own goal, either side of Benito Carbone’s response for the Owls.
Blackburn added a fourth through Jason Wilcox and Chris Sutton – who ended the season as the Premier League’s joint-leading scorer on 18 goals – made it five before half-time.
9️⃣ goals
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???? long-range stunner@Rovers ran riot #OnThisDay in 1️⃣9️⃣9️⃣7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/4xVsdIKPTl— Premier League (@premierleague) August 25, 2020
Carbone’s outrageous effort from distance reduced the deficit for Sheffield Wednesday, but Sutton’s second and Lars Bonihen completed an emphatic scoreline for the 1995 champions.
Sheffield Wednesday 5-0 Bolton (1997)
Sheffield Wednesday turned the tables just three months later by scoring five before the break against Bolton.
Paolo Di Canio – signed from Celtic during the summer – kickstarted the win with a brilliant individual goal, before Guy Whittingham arrived at the back post to power home a second. Andy Booth then made it 5-0 to the Owls at half-time as the forward helped himself to a first-half hat-trick.
It was the biggest defeat of a disappointing season for Bolton, who were relegated at the end of the campaign.
Manchester United 6-1 Arsenal (2001)
Manchester United vs Arsenal remains the defining rivalry of the Premier League era, as the division’s dominant forces shared the title in eight consecutive campaigns between 1996 and 2004.
One of the most memorable clashes between the rivals came in February 2001, as runaway leaders Manchester United underlined their status as champions elect.
???? @ManUtd 6️⃣-1️⃣ Arsenal ????
Sir Alex Ferguson's side put on a show for the Old Trafford faithful #OnThisDay in 2001 ???? pic.twitter.com/skEvYhwR9S
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 25, 2022
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side thrashed the Gunners to move 16 points clear at the top of the division, with Dwight Yorke opening the scoring after three minutes and completing his hat-trick inside 22.
Roy Keane and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer goals made it 5-1 to the Red Devils at half-time and Teddy Sheringham struck a late sixth to seal an unforgettable win.
Leeds 6-1 Bradford (2001)
Leeds’ exciting young side reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2000/01 and bounced back from their last four exit to Valencia by dismantling Bradford City just days later at Elland Road.
Ian Harte created the first and scored the second, as Leeds tore apart their Yorkshire rivals to retain hope of a top three finish and Champions League football.
Bradford pulled a goal back with an instant response to Harte’s free-kick, but Eirik Bakke, Alan Smith and Harry Kewell made it 5-1 at half-time. Lee Bowyer scored a sixth late on in a resounding win for David O’Leary’s side.
???? "Bradford completely lacked fight" #OTD 20 years ago, #LUFC defeated the Bantams 6-1 in front of 38,000 pic.twitter.com/f50jbWxSyh
— Leeds United (@LUFC) May 13, 2021
Arsenal 6-1 Southampton (2003)
Arsenal strolled to an easy win against Southampton in May 2003, a fixture which served as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming FA Cup final between the teams.
Jermaine Pennant marked his Premier League debut with a hat-trick for the Gunners, who led 5-1 at the interval, while Robert Pires also hit a treble – his third coming after half-time – as the duo became the first pair of teammates to score a Premier League hat-trick in the same fixture.
2️⃣ hat-tricks
1️⃣ worldie Pires finish@Arsenal at their slick Highbury best ????#PLMoment pic.twitter.com/1oClBfkwaq— Premier League (@premierleague) December 31, 2017
Southampton fared better in the FA Cup final held 10 days later in Cardiff, but lost 1-0 as Pires added another goal against the Saints.
Burnley 1-6 Manchester City (2010)
Manchester City were beginning to emerge as a force during the 2009/10 season and moved into the Premier League’s top four with a 6-1 win at Burnley.
Roberto Mancini’s men were 3-0 up inside seven minutes at Turf Moor, as Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy and Carlos Tevez fired the visitors into a commanding lead. Patrick Vieira headed home a fourth goal for the Citizens and Adebayor’s second stretched the lead to five at half-time.
Emmanuel Adebayor netted as we were rampant at Turf Moor! #bfcvcity #mancity pic.twitter.com/1RJNYLHvYT
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 2, 2018
Vincent Kompany netted a sixth against the team he would later manage post-retirement, before Steven Fletcher scored a late consolation for the Clarets.
Southampton 6-1 Aston Villa (2015)
Sadio Mane scored the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history as Southampton stunned Aston Villa at St Mary’s in 2015.
Mane’s treble was scored in two minutes and 56 seconds – breaking Robbie Fowler’s 21-year record – to put the Saints 3-0 up inside 16 minutes. Shane Long scored a brace to make it 5-1 at half-time to Ronald Koeman’s side, with Christian Benteke heading home a reply for Villa in first-half stoppage time.
13' – ⚽️
14' – ⚽️
16' – ⚽️Blink and you'll miss it! When Sadio Mane scored the Premier League's fastest hat-trick… #PLMoments pic.twitter.com/RhTRE6BfS3
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 30, 2016
Graziano Pelle’s volley completed a memorable win for Southampton on the south coast.
Stoke 6-1 Liverpool (2015)
Steven Gerrard’s final game with Liverpool ended in disaster as the Reds were humbled in a humiliating defeat at Stoke.
The Liverpool legend’s send-off could hardly have gone worse as Stoke scored five first-half goals, including three within eight minutes as Mame Biram Diouf netted a brace and Jonathan Walters added a third.
Charlie Adam made it four against his former side and Steven Nzonzi sent the Stoke fans wild with a fifth before the half was over.
Gerrard marked his last game with a goal in response, but another ex-Red confirmed Liverpool’s largest league defeat in the top tier since 1963, as Peter Crouch headed in a sixth.
Manchester City 8-0 Watford (2019)
Manchester City became the fastest side in Premier League history to register a five-goal lead, after scoring five times in the opening 18 minutes against Watford in 2019.
David Silva opened the scoring after just 52 seconds for Pep Guardiola’s side, who failed to let up as Sergio Aguero, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Nicolas Otamendi made it 5-0 in record-breaking time.
City continued in a similar vein after the break as Bernardo Silva completed his hat-trick with two more goals, before Kevin De Bruyne scored an eighth for the rampant hosts. City’s 8-0 victory was their biggest win in the English top flight.
Southampton 0-9 Leicester (2019)
Leicester equalled the record for the biggest win in Premier League history after scoring NINE in a massive win at Southampton.
The Foxes moved second in the Premier League table after a destruction of the 10-man Saints, whose nightmare evening saw Ryan Bertrand sent off just two minutes after Ben Chilwell’s 10th-minute opener for Leicester.
???? Leicester became only the second team to record nine-goal victory in a #PL match #OnThisDay in 2019 pic.twitter.com/HxTRL9FGHs
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 25, 2021
Leicester made their man advantage count on an extraordinary evening, one that saw both Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy hit hat-tricks for the visitors. Youri Tielemans and James Maddison were also on target for Brendan Rodgers side, who recorded the largest ever away win in the Premier League.
Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth (2022)
Liverpool became the third Premier League team to win 9-0 in a fixture earlier this season, as Jurgen Klopp’s side battered Bournemouth at Anfield.
The Reds had opened the season without a win in three games, but issued the perfect response to dismantle the newly-promoted Cherries.
Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott put Liverpool two-nil up inside six minutes, before Trent Alexander-Arnold, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk got in on the act before the break.
Liverpool continued to pour forward in search of goals and added a sixth after Chris Mepham put through his own net, before Firmino – who scored a brace and claimed a hat-trick of assists – fired in his second to make it eight.
Fabio Carvalho’s first goal for goal for Liverpool completed the record-equalling scoreline, in a result which saw Bournemouth boss Scott Parker sacked just four games into the season.
Newcastle 6-1 Tottenham (2023)
Newcastle became the 12th team to score five goals inside the first half of a Premier League fixture last weekend after punishing a poor performance from Spurs at St James’ Park.
The two teams were separated by just three points heading into a crucial clash in the race for Champions League football, but there was a significant gulf in class on the pitch.
Eddie Howe’s team scored early through Jacob Murphy and were three ahead inside nine minutes, as Joelinton scored a second and Murphy’s thunderous second shellshocked Spurs.
5-0 inside 21 minutes!@NUFC were electric against Spurs ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/6PrPo7MEkO
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 26, 2023
Alexander Isak’s quick-fire brace – the first after an incredible assist from Joe Willock – made it 5-0 at the break with the Toon Army celebrating a stunning performance. Harry Kane pulled one back for Spurs with an individual effort, but Callum Wilson came off the bench to make it six.
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