Jacob Murphy lets down his teammates as he lifts the Sela Cup trophy in an overly extravagant fashion after Newcastle capped their pre-season with a thumping 4-0 win over Villarreal
- The Magpies secured the pre-season title after also beating Fiorentina 2–0
- Eddie Howe named two completely different sides for the games this weekend
- Newcastle will kick off their Premier League campaign against Aston Villa next week
Jacob Murphy had his Newcastle teammates laughing after his over the top trophy lift as Newcastle won the Sela Cup.
In their final pre-season friendly before the Premier League kicks off next weekend, Eddie Howe’s side beat Villarreal 4-0 at St James’ Park.
Murphy, Joelinton and Harvey Barnes (two) were on the scoresheet as the side finished their preparations with a trophy and secured an unbeaten run through the summer, having also played in the Premier League Summer Series tournament in the United States .
In the two-day tournament, Newcastle beat Fiorentina 2-0 on Saturday before a full substitution secured the trophy the following day.
And Murphy, known on Tyneside for his bubbly personality, sarcastically raised the trophy during the presentation, drawing smiles from his teammates.
Jacob Murphy (pictured with Sels Cup trophy) let his teammates down with his trophy lift
Murphy was clearly delighted to have won the pre-season tournament at St James’ Park
Newcastle beat LaLiga side Villarreal 4-0 on Sunday to ensure they finish pre-season unbeaten
Murphy, who started 14 games in the Premier League last season as Newcastle returned to the Champions League, played 90 minutes in the game and scored his side’s opening goal after just six minutes.
After Matt Ritchie came in from a corner, Murphy picked up the ball after it had been half cleared by the Italian side and swept in his effort from just inside the box.
Newcastle dominated the game but had to wait until just after the hour mark before new signing Harvey Barnes doubled their lead on his first game at St James’ Park for Newcastle.
Joelinton – who himself scored the third with a fine solo goal – could have fired, but shot to Barnes, before the former Leicester man added his fourth and his second 12 minutes from time after a neat return from Callum Wilson.
While parties were always tame, Murphy took it upon himself to lighten the mood with an overly dramatic trophy lift at the presentation.
As the cup made its way down the line of players, Murphy grabbed it out of turn, before running from left to right in an attempt to build anticipation.
He finally lifted the trophy and let out a huge roar as his teammates laughed and applauded his efforts.
Harvey Barnes scored twice for Newcastle in his first game at St James’ Park since joining
Eddie Howe’s side will start their Premier League season against Aston Villa next weekend
Murphy may have little playing time at Newcastle this season with Barnes, Anthony Gordon, Miguel Almiron and more to compete in the wide positions, but he is still a vital member of the squad on and off the pitch.
Newcastle take on Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday in their opening game of the season, following five wins and two draws in their pre-season campaign.
They will then face Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton in a difficult first few weeks.
They will compete in the Champions League for the first time since the 2002/03 season, having finished fourth in the Premier League last season.