Newcastle United

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Ipswich Town and Newcastle United.

Here are some of your comments:

Ipswich fans

Peter: Men against boys. It was Premier League vs Championship. They bullied us, snapped at our heels all day and shrugged us off the ball with ease. They won every second ball, if not the first. I only remember one shot on target and that was half way through the second half. We seriously lack pace at the back, as they just continually put the ball over the top. This performance was bad, but we still believe.

James: When will Kieran McKenna realise that Muric is not Premier League standard? He looks a mistake waiting to happen and he doesn't seem to be able to play out from the back, which is a style McKenna seemingly wants to persist with.

Mel: We do not have the squad to keep playing out from the back - starting with Muric! How many goals have we given away this season? This game showed just how vulnerable we are, particularly against a side like Newcastle. I still think we should recall Christian Walton who, in my view, is a far better goalkeeper than Muric.

Jasmine: We really need more depth all over the pitch, but up front especially. Al-Hamadi is a League One player at best and we struggle when Delap is unavailable.

Newcastle fans

Mark: It finally seem to be clicking both in midfield and on the flanks. Murphy always seems to have a purple patch in him - and long may this one last! Tonali and Bruno look excellent in midfield. We are suddenly five points off the top four with two huge games next! Best of luck for the rest of the season, Ipswich - hope you stay up!

Barry: Very impressive, with the midfield linking well. Isak took his chances but the others could have been more clinical. The rain and a slippery surface helped neither team.

Neil: The perfect start. We pressed well and did not let Ipswich settle. A confident display, comfortable win and clean sheet.

Andrew: Absolutely delighted with performance. For me, Murphy was outstanding, along with Isak and Gordon. I'm looking forward to the Aston Villa and Manchester United games, with confidence that we can end the year with another two wins.

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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe revealed he had slightly tweaked his midfield for their 4-0 win over Ipswich Town in his post-match interview with BBC Sport.

Former Magpies striker Alan Shearer analysed the changes, which "helped the whole team" on Match of the Day: "In recent games, Eddie Howe has put Sandro Tonali in the number six role and moved Bruno Guimaraes a little bit further forward to give him a little bit more freedom to get into forward positions.

"It certainly helped both of the players and, more importantly, it helped the team.

"Tonali will sit there in midfield - he is very good at that and I think he feels very important in that role. He is certainly a better player for it because he has the skills to do that.

"A lot of the time, when he gets the ball, within one or two touches he likes and wants to play the ball forward. So for the forward players, that is much better.

"He has to do his work defensively as well and he has certainly done that in recent games.

"The understanding of both Tonali and Guimaraes in their roles was absolutely superb. Sometimes it was Guimaraes getting on the ball and him passing it forward, other times it was Tonali.

"Bruno was very clever in what he had to do in that role. He feels part of it as well because that role is certainly suiting him."

Catch up on Match of the Day here

Newcastle are one of the clubs interested in Barcelona's Spain defender Eric Garcia, 23, but the former Manchester City man wants to stay and fight for a first-team place. (Sport - in Spanish), external

Paris St-Germain are willing to pay 100m euros (£83m) to sign Newcastle striker Alexander Isak. (Fichajes.net - in Spanish), external

Meanwhile, the Magies will let forward Callum Wilson leave on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures, including Manchester City's visit to Aston Villa and the London derby between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• West Ham 1-1 Brighton

• Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal

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Newcastle United goalscorer Jacob Murphy has been discussing the Magpies' confident win over Ipswich Town on BBC Radio Newcastle: "It was very good. It was enjoyable to be back in Norfolk and get a big win. We sent the fans home happy and it was a good day.

"It was good to see my goal go in, but such a quick start just set everything in motion for us. We are happy that it was a positive performance, especially being away from home.

"That is three wins in one week now, so it's about building momentum from that and that is a good start for us."

On scoring his goal: "I felt relatively close to the goal, so it was about making good contact with the ball. I know I've got the power, so if I keep it in between the sticks then I have a good chance of it going in."

On making a number of goal contributions in recent games: "I don't need to score and assist to be enjoying my football. For me, it's about making positive contributions. Whether you're occupying the space or tracking a run, you just have to give everything on the field.

"For me, goals and assists are bonuses. So it's good to provide, but you don't necessarily need the numbers to know that you have had a good game.

"It's not about who scores, it's about the fact that we score - that is a big ethos of mine. I feel like that is filtering through the team, we are becoming a lot less selfish and we are creating chances for everybody."

Listen to the full post-match interview on BBC Sounds

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist at Portman Road

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Just when questions were being asked of Eddie Howe, Newcastle have responded with three fantastic victories in just over a week.

A 4-0 beating of Leicester, a 3-1 victory over Brentford to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals and now another four-goal success against a newly-promoted side.

Newcastle spring into the top half with this win, while it was a day to forget for Ipswich, who remain 18th, two points adrift of safety.

Howe's side took the lead after 26 seconds. They never looked like losing that advantage and this was surely their easiest win of the season. They were superb and outclassed Ipswich from start to finish.

Alexander Isak got his first Newcastle hat-trick and became the first Magpie to score a treble in the Premier League in five-and-a-half years. But a lot of the credit also had to go to Jacob Murphy as he scored one, got an assist for one and was heavily involved in the opener.

Eleven goals in three games, six points out of six and a place in the last four of the Carabao Cup. Christmas has come early for Newcastle fans.

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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the win: "Absolutely delighted with the players and what they have given this week. It has been a really big week for us.

"Getting through to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup was one of our big aims and our league form needed to improve, so brilliant to get back-to-back wins.

"We are just constantly trying to tweak things and trying to improve. There are a number of little things to upturn our form. Our creative play has been back to what it has always been - free scoring and looking like we can create at any time."

On Alexander Isak: "There is no doubting his quality. We just needed to get the framework of the team right to give him the opportunity to score. He has really responded well.

"The goals today just show his class and coolness in front of goal. With his speed and his technical ability, he has a bit of everything.

"The plan is that Sandro [Tonali] plays a little bit deeper than Joe Willock and Bruno [Guimaraes], but they are still given a freedom to express themselves and move.

"It's getting that balance right between the freedom and the structure, and I think they got the balance perfect."

On the upcoming January transfer window: "The message is that we probably, at this moment in time, need to concentrate on the players that we do have and get the best out of them, rather than looking externally."