Murphy emerging as key figure as United push on for Champions League

NEWCASTLE United have moved into the Champions League places following a comfortable 3-0 win against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

- CIARAN KELLY

A double from Jacob Murphy put the visitors in command early on before Harvey Barnes added a third against his former club in the 34th minute.

Here are five things we learned from the game.

Jacob Murphy's key role in Champions League push

To think it was Leicester City who tested Newcastle straight from kickoff when Jamie Vardy forced Nick Pope into action. Any prospect of the hosts taking confidence from that opening, though, was ruthlessly extinguished by Newcastle.

Less than two minutes had been played when Harvey Barnes slipped Tino Livramento in down the overlap and the defender's teasing cross picked out Jacob Murphy, who fired home at the back post. It was so easy for Newcastle. You would not have known that Leicester were playing with a back five. Or that the Foxes had nine players in the box for that matter.

It soon got even worse for the beleaguered hosts. Newcastle's confidence was such that, when urged to shoot by the away end from inside his own half, Fabian Schar let fly from the centre circle in the 11th minute after spotting Mads Hermansen off his line. The Newcastle defender's stunning looping effort crashed off the crossbar and the ball fell to Murphy, who could hardly miss on the follow up.

Murphy and his Newcastle teammates rightly saluted Schar, as the visitors celebrated, but the forward has played a crucial role in the Magpies' Champions League push in recent months. In fact, only Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak have been involved in more Premier League goals than Murphy (14) since the start of December.

Leicester fans sent for early exit