Newcastle United sensationally ended their wait for a first away win in the Premier League this season as they claimed an emphatic 4-1 victory over Everton.

Eddie Howe’s team had not picked up a point on the road since September, but they made light work of Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium thanks to an inspired first-half display on the Magpies head coach’s 48th birthday.

Malick Thiaw scored the fastest Premier League goal of the campaign after just 52 seconds, with Lewis Miley doubling Newcastle’s advantage thanks to a Jordan Pickford blunder.

Nick Woltemade dinked home to put Newcastle 3-0 up in the 45th minute, and Thiaw doubled his tally just before the hour.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s sublime finish at least reduced the arrears for Everton, but they drop down to 14th in the table, while Newcastle move up to 11th.

How the match unfolded

The tone was set quickly, as Thiaw netted his first Newcastle goal after meeting Miley’s terrific inswinging corner.

Just as Everton built up some momentum, Newcastle made it 2-0 courtesy of Miley in the 25th minute. His first-time attempt was straight at Pickford, but Everton’s goalkeeper got his save all wrong and parried it through his own legs.

The result was then all but sealed before half-time as Woltemade deftly finished over Pickford after an error from Tim Iroegbunam.

Everton substitute Carlos Alcaraz left the crossbar shaking with a thunderous effort, yet Newcastle had their fourth goal in the 58th minute – Thiaw capitalising on more poor defending to head in from Lewis Hall’s excellent centre.

Thierno Barry thought he had broken his Everton duck when he sliced in from close range, only to see it ruled out for accidental handball, yet the Toffees did at least grab a consolation when Dewsbury-Hall prodded in after a spectacular touch to take down James Tarkowski’s searching pass in the 69th minute.

Gueye’s absence leaves Moyes with big issues

Monday’s 1-0 victory at Old Trafford demonstrated great character from Everton as they overcame Idrissa Gueye’s dismissal, which came about because of an altercation with team-mate Michael Keane.

However, Gueye’s absence through suspension was keenly felt here, as Newcastle carved through Everton’s midfield time and time again.

It started in the opening 30 seconds, with Keane inexplicably stepping forward and getting turned by Woltemade, who released Anthony Elanga.

The winger’s shot was saved, but the resulting corner saw Everton concede their earliest goal in a home league game since 2014.

Everton appeared to be building up a head of steam after that blow, but their midfield was then exposed again in the build-up to Newcastle’s second, with a counter-attack leading to a corner, from which the Toffees never cleared their lines.

Iroegbunam’s miserable day was capped off when he gifted Newcastle their third, and it was no surprise to see David Moyes take him off at the interval.

Not that Everton’s defence fared much better after the break, with Pickford, Keane, Jake O’Brien and Tarkowski all performing below their best. Dewsbury-Hall’s exquisite touch and finish for the Toffees’ goal will have done little to cheer Moyes.

With AFC Bournemouth coming up on Tuesday, Moyes suddenly has to deal with some troubling questions about the robustness of his defence.

Magpies cast aside away-day blues

The pre-match talk around Newcastle was whether Nick Pope would keep his place in goal after making a big mistake against Marseille in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, though that decision was seemingly taken out of Howe’s hands, with the former Burnley goalkeeper sustaining an injury in training on Friday.

Aaron Ramsdale, then, got the nod, but he was a bystander as Newcastle ran riot to get up and running on the road this term.

Thiaw’s opener hinted that Newcastle had watched how Tottenham Hotspur scored two of their three goals at Hill Dickinson Stadium last month, with Everton’s defence caught cold from a corner planted into the six-yard box.

Miley was the deliverer of that set-piece, and he later got his reward for trying his luck in front of goal. Hall also saw a deflected effort loop off the crossbar before Woltemade showed his class on the stroke of half-time.

Ramsdale did not have much work to do until he had to claw James Garner’s corner off the line in the 53rd minute, with Alcaraz then rattling the woodwork on the rebound.

Newcastle put the game to bed through another towering Thiaw header, after Woltemade had a shot blocked on the line by Tarkowski.

Dan Burn led an excellent defensive display, though Newcastle were caught napping somewhat when Barry saw his goal disallowed and Dewsbury-Hall scored, but those rare moments of complacency can be forgiven in such a dominant display.

Like Everton, Newcastle play again on Tuesday, going up against Tottenham Hotspur.