NEWCASTLE UNITED took a major step towards securing European football next season as they overcame an early deficit to claim an emphatic 5-1 win over Sheffield United.

The result, which confirmed the Blades’ relegation to the Championship, looked in doubt for much of the first half, when the visitors were the better side.

However, after Alexander Isak cancelled out Anel Ahmedhodzic’s fifth-minute opener before the break, the Magpies cut loose in a superb second-half showing.

Isak added another goal from the penalty spot, with Bruno Guimaraes and Callum Wilson also finding the net, along with an own goal from Ben Osborn.

Having thrashed Sheffield United 8-0 at Bramall Lane in September, Newcastle have scored 13 goals against the South Yorkshire club this season, a Premier League record for the number of goals scored against a single club in the same campaign.

The victory conclusively drew a line under the disappointment of Wednesday’s defeat at Crystal Palace, and came on the same day that West Ham drew with Liverpool and Manchester United drew with Burnley.

As a result, while Newcastle remain in seventh position, they have climbed to within a point of Manchester United and moved four points clear of the eighth-placed Hammers.

With Newcastle having failed to fire at Selhurst Park on Wednesday night, Eddie Howe abandoned his experiment with a three-man backline and reverted to his more usual 4-3-3 formation.

However, any hopes that the move would make the Magpies more defensively secure were scuppered after just five minutes.

Newcastle’s slow start was punished as Gustavo Hamer swung in a deep cross from the left-hand side. The home defence stood motionless, allowing centre-half Ahmedhodzic to stoop and head home from the edge of the six-yard box.

The visitors’ opener was hardly in the script, but the Blades could have been three ahead inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour, such was the extent of Newcastle’s early struggles.

Dan Burn made two crucial interventions, first producing a perfectly-timed challenge to prevent Cameron Archer shooting after the striker raced clear from the halfway line on the counter-attack, then getting his body in the way of Archer’s goal-bound effort after the former Middlesbrough loanee skipped past Fabian Schar.

Sean Longstaff had a shot blocked at the other end as Newcastle finally began to stir, but Sheffield United remained a major threat on the break and Martin Dubravka was forced to parry a well-struck effort from Ben Brereton Diaz.

The Magpies were second best, but you’re always going to have chance of fashioning something from pretty much nothing when you’ve got Isak in your side.

Sure enough, the in-form forward broke into the box to reach Jacob Murphy’s through ball in the 26th minute, and fired a clinical first-time finish across Wes Foderingham and into the bottom left-hand corner.

Isak went close again shortly after, firing just wide from 20 yards, but Sheffield United created two excellent moments towards the end of the first half that should really have seen them restore their lead before the break.

Ahmedhodzic strode of defence and slipped Brereton Diaz down the heart of the pitch, but while the Chilean successfully went around Dubravka, his shot was stopped by a sliding Burn.

The resultant corner was nodded back across goal, and Mason Holgate outjumped Newcastle’s defenders to head against the crossbar. The ball rebounded invitingly for Andre Brooks, but the Blades midfielder dragged his follow-up effort wide.

Newcastle were extremely fortunate to be level at the break, and were forced into a half-time change with Emil Krafth replacing the injured Schar.

They were a completely different proposition after the break though, and turned the game completely on its head with four goals in the space of 18 manic minutes.

Guimaraes scored the first of them, peeling off his marker at the back post as Gordon delivered a free-kick from the right before directing a diving header into the net.

Gordon was at the heart of Newcastle’s third goal too, seven minutes left, bursting infield from the left-hand side and forcing Holgate to bundle him over. Isak stepped up, and continued his sensational recent run of scoring by slotting his spot-kick into the bottom corner.

Suddenly, Newcastle were running riot, and a fourth goal duly arrived in the 65th minute. A corner from the right sparked a scramble on the six-yard line after Elliot Anderson nodded the ball down, and Osborn ended up backheeling the ball into his own net.

With the security of a three-goal advantage, Howe turned to the substitutes’ bench, and his two replacements – Wilson and Harvey Barnes – combined for a fifth goal with 18 minutes left.

Barnes broke towards the edge of the area and found Wilson with a superb chipped pass, and the replacement striker fired past Foderingham from the left-hand side of the area.