Newcastle put daylight between them and relegation zone with win at Leicester

Leicester 1-2 Newcastle: Ayoze Perez scored the winner to all but secure the Magpies' Premier League status

Newcastle pulled clear of the relegation zone with an important win (Getty)

They marched slowly to the north east corner of the stadium, aptly named, and so began a coronation of sorts. Newcastle won’t be relegated now and their players trooped over, one by one, to take the acclaim of around 3200 followers from Tyneside.

First there was Ayoze Perez and for about 30 seconds the moment was his, and it felt deserved, having scored an exquisite 30 yard lob with 15 minutes of the game remaining.

That was enough, for victory, just, adding to the first half strike of Jonjo Shelvey. Jamie Vardy’s late effort, prodded home, would become meaningless, as Newcastle fought off a late rally, and in doing so, they moved up to 10th, on 38 points with a goal difference incomparable to those fighting relegation.

Shelvey opened the scoring (PA)

They can plan for next season now, with the likelihood that it will be Rafa Benitez leading them.

Newcastle had been by far the better team in the opening 45 minutes. As early as the third minute, Dwight Gayle was denied by a fine save from Kasper Schmeichel, diving low to his left to parry a low header to safety and then catching another effort from the same player three minutes later.

There has been more purpose to Newcastle’s attack since the loan signing of Kenedy and paired with Gayle and Ayoze Perez, Benitez has found an incisive front three.

Nineteen minutes had gone when Perez broke through on the Newcastle left, he cleverly waited for the run of Shelvey, cutting back inside Vicente Iborra and slipping a short, square ball, to the Newcastle midfielder.

Shelvey got Newcastle on their way (AFP)

Shelvey took a touch an then cleverly dummied to draw both Wes Morgan and Harry Maguire. From there the shot opened up and he curled a right footed effort that appeared to slightly clip the attempted block from Ben Chilwell beyond Schmeichel in the Leicester goal.

Shelvey, who Benitez believes should be going to the World Cup with England in the summer, slid on his knees in front of Newcastle supporters in the far, north east side of the stadium.

Maguire was fortunate not to see red 60 seconds after the goal. The England central defender was put under pressure by Gayle and his frustration saw him forcibly push his hand into the face of the Newcastle forward. It looked a violent act and it enraged the visitors so much that captain Jamaal Lascelles was booked. However Stuart Attwell deemed it only worth a yellow, and there were protests from Benitez to the fourth official.

Perez added a second (Getty)

It was not until the 37th minute that Leicester launched a serious attack, and when they did it was laced with controversy. A superb through ball from the excellent Adrien Silva saw Riyad Mahrez get on the wrong side of Paul Dummett. The Algerian charged into the penalty area and the Newcastle full back slid and at first glance in real time appeared to be clip the player. The King Power screamed for a penalty and Claude Pull raged as he realised Attwell was not going to give one.

The challenge was right in front the assistant referee, who as similarly unmoved. Repeated replays were slightly less conclusive than the first viewing, and there was a possibility that Dummett had pulled back his left leg as he slid in.

It did rally the home side, but for all their early pressure, Gayle’s free-kick in the 48th minute was as close as either side came to a goal before Perez’s superb strike with just quarter of an hour remaining.

The Spaniard's goal proved to be the winner (Reuters)

Florian Lejeune went long with his clearance and as Morgan and Maguire dithered the ball bounced into the path of the Spanish forward, who, having followed the path of the ball preceded to strike a delightful lob over Schmeichel’s head from 30 yards.

That looked enough for victory, but with six minute left the substitute Demarai Graty floated a cross from the left to the far post, where Shinji Okazaki headed back across goal and from around a yard out, Vardy touched into an empty net.

Newcastle held firm, and for that they moved up to the top half of the Premier League table.