Ayoze Perez scores hat-trick as Newcastle climb to near-certain safety and leave Southampton nervous

Great win for Newcastle who are now, surely, safe. Southampton will be looking nervously over the shoulder at Cardiff but after that second half performance look perfectly capable of winning at least another game of their remaining four. Good game, right result.

Redmond tries a quick-fire hot feet shoulder drop and gets a deflection on his long range effort. Another corner. Yoshida's looking busy.... but it's cleared at the near post by Rondon this time.

Bednarek uses strength to hold off Rondon as he reads a through-pass in behind and intercepts. 

Another Southampton corner and another superb save by Dubravka to deny Yoshida! Ward-Prowse's set-pieces are something else. Yoshida could have scored three today!

Even though Southampton have been way better this second half, I'd have to say Newcastle deserve the win they're almost certainly about to guarantee. As I type that Southampton run on the attack... but it's dealt with and Newcastle move up the pitch.

PEREZ HAS HIS HAT-TRICK!

The pressure bursts the dam and Perez flicks on a header powered at goal from Ritchie, who dives to reach it with a really brave leap, and it beats the goalkeeper.

Now Newcastle are piling on the pressure! They have Southampton pinned back...

Southampton are charging forwards now. They can sense goals... can Newcastle hang on?

 That was Almiron crying as he left the pitch injured. Hayden has just been taken off for Diame, which shouldn't change much of what Newcastle are up to here anyway. Having energy in midfield is definitely important - Armstrong and Lemina have changed the game.

Redmond blasts a shot into the crowd and it hits some poor fella square on the nose. That will have hurt.

Ings is taken off to be replaced by Long, who has scored in his last two games in a row. He's never scored in three in a row... could that change today? Southampton are looking strong going into the final part of this match.

Ings is at the back post and can score if he gets his touch right on the cross but the flag goes up just as he swings and kicks at fresh air. Would have been a massive opportunity had it been valid.

There's another Newcastle injury problem. Schar has gone down and will need to be replaced by Fernandez. It's another muscular injury, he went down off the ball and hobbles off the pitch.

Newcastle attack down the left, Atsu crosses in even though the ball is way out of play and Hayden powers a volley at goal and GUNN SAVES! Wow that was flying.

YOSHIDA! He's missed! It should be 2-2.

Ward-Prowse hits another brilliant corner which causes panic in the Newcastle defence, Redmond keeps it alive and crosses into the area but Yoshida whacks it on the volley and wastes the chance. Newcastle need to find some energy from somewhere, Southampton are dominating this half.

 Almiron leaves the pitch in tears and that could be the end of his season. 

Newcastle seem a little bit nervy now. They might not have anticipated this huge rise in level from Southampton.

Yellow card for Romeu for pulling Almiron back. It looks like Newcastle's big money signing has pulled a hamstring in doing so too.

That goal was Mario Lemina's first goal in the Premier League since February 2018 (v West Brom). Thanks, Opta! The finish was really nice. That's an R2 and square finish (I play with Pro Evo buttons) if ever I've seen one.

SOUTHAMPTON ARE BACK IN IT!

It's been coming too. Southampton are a different team this second half and they're able to move the ball through the lines up to the final third. Lemina runs onto Armstrong's touch and has space to wrap his foot around the ball and plant it into the right corner. 

KI HITS THE POST! Oocha. It's nice play from Newcastle as Ritchie joins in an attack and fires a pass back to Ki from wide of the box. He has space, sets up the shot and keeps it low towards the far post and it cracks off the frame, pinging away from any waiting strikers. Southampton survive!

Manquillo takes a sore one, taking studs on the top of his boot and jarring his ankle in a 50/50 with Armstrong. He's OK to continue. 

Armstrong is buzzing around everywhere and driving with the ball through the middle. He wins a free-kick as Newcastle chase him towards their own box. It's quite far out but Ward-Prowse can hit these. 

W-P goes for the hit.... and it's bottom left. The goalkeeper can catch it. It was miles out tbf.

YOSHIDA! Just wide of the far post! Ward-Prowse's delivery is superb but the header in the box isn't on target. Southampton have started this half well.

The Saints keep up the pressure and force Newcastle into some more defending. It's a total change of approach! Possession and passing instead of quick counters. 

Southampton are now a back four. It looks like Hasenhuttl wants his team to keep the ball and have options to pass around Newcastle's half, something easier in a 4-3-3 than the very counter-attack suited 3-5-2. 

Stephens and Sims went off for Lemina and Armstrong. The latter has already won a corner for Southampton.

We're back. How fired up will Southampton be after their break? They've made a change of shape by the looks of things.

•  Ayoze Perez has scored eight goals at St. James' Park in the Premier League this season, as many as his previous two top-flight campaigns combined.
• Ayoze Perez has scored nine goals in the Premier League this season; his most in a single campaign for Newcastle.
• Ayoze Perez has scored in consecutive PL appearances for the first time since April 2018.

Hasenhuttl's halftime team talk

Aggressive: "Show some passion lads, do you even want to win this?"

Benitez's halftime team talk

Assertive: "Don't get complacent!"

Perez has just gone through some of his right analogue stick skills to keep the ball under close attention, flicking, rolling and tapping it round chasing players. Lovely stuff.

That's Benitez asking the assistant referee if he's seen his shoes anywhere.  

Ki plays a risky pass out to the left wing, Ward-Prowse can't reach the interception and lets Ritchie run in at goal! He plays in Almiron who goes past one challenge but ends up kicking a shot off defenders' legs and through to the keeper.

Here come Newcastle again! A long ball is chased by Rondon, Yoshida can't work out what to do and clears it to Almiron, who runs through the middle and hits a tame shot at the goalkeeper from 20 yards.

Newcastle seem to be the team playing with that much needed aggression and intensity in these types of games. Southampton are pretty evenly matched talent wise but not quite as fired up.

Decent save by Dubravka there. A Southampton corner comes off Schar and is going top corner but the goalkeeper dives and picks out the air, holding the ball in his gloves.

And it's 2-0! Perez scores his second!

Southampton lose possession, Newcastle power forward with Rondon on the left and he curls a cross to the back post. Perez runs faster than a text message to get to it, burning Bertrand for pace and setting up a tap-in. 

Perez is hacked on the edge of the area and wins a free-kick. Ritchie curls it straight out for a goal kick, which will really please the centre-backs who'd jogged 80 yards up the pitch to join in.

That's absolutely brilliant from Perez! Newcastle are 1-0 up!

Newcastle press high with intensity and it pays off. Yoshida can't regain control, Perez steals it, takes him on and then uses Bednarek as a dummy to disguise his shot, placing the ball in the bottom far corner. 

I can see both sides of the argument for that foul. He was miles away from goal but Almiron is so fast he'd easily have been one v one or two v one had he been allowed to run for another three seconds. 

Ooooooohhhhhhh this a big decision. Almiron goes flying forward in a two v one at halfway and Southampton are wide open. He's completely through on goal but Ward-Prowse wipes him out at the halfway line and he could be off! The referee says it's only yellow and Newcastle are furious about it. That's the right decision apparently, because Almiron was so far from goal it can't count as a clear scoring opportunity. If he hadn't been fouled, Almiron was clean through on goal with a player alongside to pass to! One of the Newcastle assistants have been sent off.

Southampton work hard to keep the ball with short passes and movement into space but then pass the ball straight to Newcastle and they can break! Newcastle give the ball away immediately and Sims is played in over the top on the left wing, He waits for a pass, finds Ward-Prowse... and Ritchie flies in to block.

Ings closes Schar down as he tries to find a short pass near his own box. Newcastle can't quite pass their way through lines of defence like Man City do. 

Southampton steal the ball at halfway, Ings has runners either side, can't get the ball from under his feet and pushes a pass towards Sims which is easily mopped up by the goalkeeper.

Pretty cool anti-racism banners on show in St James' Park  before the match. 

Newcastle pinch the ball high up the pitch and surround Southampton, trying to hunt in packs to break forward. They've started well but no real chances on goal yet.

Rondon hooks the ball on after controlling a long pass forward. Almiron overlaps, speeds up the left and doesn't have many or any options, so shoots at the near post and wins a corner. 

Lascelles gets a head to it, the ball bounces around the area and Newcastle are able to keep the move going but Ki then absolutely horses a shot miles over the bar.

Ings runs the channel and is offside, Southampton looking to chip the ball into wide areas and build from there. 

Newcastle play a diagonal ball to Rondon, who tries to chest it down, Perez holds off two defenders inside the box and wins a corner. Ritchie puts it in, Newcastle win the second ball and Ritchie tries a shot at the near post from 25 yards but shanks it wide.

Newcastle are happy to let Southampton keep the ball, sitting back behind it waiting for a chance to counter-attack. 

Perez is able to run into space on the right, tricks his way to getting a cross in and Almiron goes for a volley and smashes the ball off Hojbjerg. There's no way you can give a penalty for that (it hits his hand) but players and fans shout for one anyway.

Newcastle get the game started.

The stadium looks full, there's a decent atmosphere, I have no idea who's going to win this at all.

Rafa Benitez

Before the game everything is fine but it's important to stay as focused as were before Leicester, we can't have any complacency or we will pay for it.

The fans has been amazing through the whole season, the three points would give them something to cheer about. [Southampton] are confident, strong, solid and they play very good counter-attacks so it will be a tough game for us.

Ralph Hasenhuttle

One injury, one illness - a temperature so we sent Valery home. Changed a few positions, the team knows what they have to do today

Strong words but that's what the free-kick wonder told Owen Hargreaves in a cool little BT Sport VT. He also talks about how takes fewer free-kicks in training now to try and replicate match conditions - you only get one or two in a game so taking three kicks rather than 20 helps him focus.

Newcastle

 Southampton

Newcastle vs Southampton: a game that for years has been a 9th vs 13th type game. Things have changed and now it's a match which both sides will be more scared of losing than they are desperate to win. 

The table isn't great reading for either of these sides though you'd think they're both going to be safe, will Cardiff really escape? Stranger things have happened but a win today for either side would all but guarantee Neil Warnock can't pull that miraculous event off. 

This game should be interesting tactically. Newcastle are usually a 5-4-1 but have switched recently to a 4-2-3-1, a formation Benitez seems to really like and has favoured throughout his career. Southampton are high energy, high press in a 5-3-2. I'd imagine it'll be Newcastle 5-4-1 vs 5-3-2 tonight just to make sure Southampton can't blast their way to an early lead and then sit on the counter-attack.

Team news will be with us very soon.