Everton 3 Newcastle United 0: Embarrassing defeat heaps pressure on McClaren
Newcastle United's woeful campaign took another turn for the worse at Goodison Park tonight.
Steve McClaren's relegation-threatened side were beaten 3-0 by Everton on a night when nothing went right for the visitors.
The game, which came days after the club's completed its £28.5million January spend, was decided by a first-half goal from Aaron Lennon and two late penalties, both converted by Ross Barkley.
And had it not been for Rob Elliot, Newcastle, who lost defender Chancel Mbemba to a foot injury, would have been on the end of a much heavier defeat on Merseyside.
With United trailing by Lennon's 23rd-minute opener, the goalkeeper made a series of saves to keep his team in the game,
Substitute Aleksandar Mitrovic somehow missed an opportunity to level from six yards.
But Everton's pressure at the other end of the pitch finally told two minutes from time.
Rolando Aarons brought down Lennon in the box with a careless challenge and Barkley rolled the resulting penalty past Elliot.
Barkley converted a second penalty after Jamaal Lascelles brought him down in the box.
Lascelles will now miss the club's next game through suspension.
Andros Townsend made his full United debut, but the winger, lacking match fitness, wasn't able to get at the home defence on his first Premier League appearance since October.
Striker Seydou Doumbia, signed on loan from AS Roma on transfer deadline day, was an unused substitute.
Newcastle remain 18th in the Premier League and two points adrift of safety ahead of Saturday's home game against West Bromwich Albion.
And head coach McClaren is yet to convince many fans that he can get the most out of a team which has had almost £80million spent on it since the end of last season.
EVERTON: Joel, Oviedo, Funes Mori, Jagielka, Coleman, McCarthy, Barry, Cleverley, Lennon, Barkley, Lukaku (Kone, 46). Subs not used: Stanek, Baines, Gibson, Deulofeu, Osman, Pienaar.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Elliot; Janmaat, Coloccini, Mbemba (Lascelles, 44), Dummett (Aarons, 46); Sissoko, Saivet (Mitrovic, 55), Shelvey, Townsend; Wijnaldum, Perez. Subs not used: Darlow, Gouffran, Taylor, Doumbia.
Goals: Lennon 23, Barkley 88 (pen), 90 (pen)
Bookings: Shelvey 61, Coleman 74, Lascelles 88
Sent off: Lascelles 90
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
Attendance: