NEWCASTLE: Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes grabbed a glorious stoppage-time winner with the first headed goal of his career as the hosts beat Leicester City 2-1 on Sunday to take another vital step towards preserving their Premier League status.
Guimaraes struck twice to secure the victory that moved Newcastle up to 14th place on 37 points, 12 above Burnley in 18th spot having played a game more, with Leicester now just three points ahead of the Magpies in ninth.
The Foxes went in front after 19 minutes from a cleverly-worked corner, the ball driven low into the box and pulled back for Ademola Lookman to fire goalwards, with his shot squirming under the body of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka into the net.
Guimaraes levelled for Newcastle on the half-hour mark with the first of his two goals, poking the ball over the line from between the legs of keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
The goal was initially disallowed but, after a pitch-side VAR review, referee Jarred Gillett reversed his decision and allowed it to stand.
Newcastle winger Allan Saint-Maximin thrilled and frustrated the home crowd in equal measure, his mazy dribbles occasionally laying the foundations for promising attacks but often ending with him giving the ball away cheaply.
The Frenchman started the second half with a couple of long-range shots that failed to hit the target before Leicester took over again, maintaining possession for long spells as Newcastle struggled to mount any coherent attacks.
Neither side created much of note until the dying moments, when Joe Willock broke down the left before crossing for Brazilian Guimaraes, who threw himself at the ball to head it into the net, to delight the home crowd.
The 24-year-old was yellow-carded for taking off his shirt in celebration, and after the final whistle he threw it to a young fan in the stands, a memento of an afternoon in which Newcastle looked to have finally put enough distance between themselves and the bottom sides to ensure top-flight survival.
“To score two goals was brilliant. It was always my dream to play in the Premier League and I’m so happy for today. I want to be a legend here,” Guimaraes told Sky Sports.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said: “He’s certainly popular, and rightly so after today’s performance. I thought he was magnificent in every discipline at the game.” However, he warned his side, who have six games remaining, that they are not out of the woods yet.
“We have a lot of games to play, as do the teams behind us. So we have to get more points to retain our Premier League status,” added Howe.
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