Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon net again as Newcastle beat 10-man Burnley

Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon scored for the second time in five days as Newcastle eased to a 2-1 Premier League victory over 10-man Burnley at St James’ Park.

Guimaraes found the back of the net direct from a corner and Gordon converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time, minutes after Lucas Pires had been sent off for bringing down Anthony Elanga, on an afternoon when anything that cold go wrong for the struggling visitors, who responded with a last-gasp penalty from substitute Zian Flemming, did.

The victory was exactly what the Magpies, who belatedly handed a debut to £55million summer signing Yoane Wissa as a late substitute, needed ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Bayer Leverkusen and next weekend’s derby at Sunderland, although it came courtesy of a patchy performance in front of a crowd of 52,041.

Indeed, the Clarets set out their stall from the off, winning two early corners which were both cleared by Nick Woltemade and forcing goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale into a third-minute save after Tino Livramento’s attempted clearance came back off Jacob Bruun Larsen and ricocheted towards goal.

Lyle Foster sent a dipping shot over from distance as the visitors continued to prosper, but the hosts finally started to find their feet.

Defender Maxime Esteve was in the right place at the right time to deny Woltemade after Joe Willock had combined with Guimaraes and Jacob Ramsey to set him up, and Elanga called upon former Magpie Martin Dubravka to make his first save of the game with a 16th-minute attempt on the turn.

Ramsdale continued to look uncomfortable amid a set-piece assault, but it was Dubravka who was relieved to see Gordon’s 28th-minute shot clip his far post and drop safe.

However, the Slovakia international was beaten three minutes later when he came for and failed to get a touch to Guimaraes’ left-wing corner under pressure from Gordon and could only look on as the Brazilian’s delivery sailed over his head and into the net.

Guimaraes wasted a 36th-minute free-kick with a wayward strike after Kyle Walker had crudely felled Gordon, but Malick Thiaw had to block a Bruun Larsen effort seconds later with the visitors very much still in it.

Dubravka kept out Elanga’s 41st-minute drive after Ramsey and Gordon had staged a pacy counter-attack, but it was the Sweden international’s pace which caught out full-back Pires, who clipped the wide-man as he chased down Gordon’s through ball two minutes later and was sent off.

But he was picking the ball out of his net once again deep into stoppage time when, after referee Stuart Attwell had been advised to go to the monitor, he awarded a penalty for handball against Lesley Ugochukwu which Gordon dispatched with the minimum of fuss.

Dubravka tipped over Guimaraes’ instinctive strike, blocked substitute Lewis Hall’s shot and then had to save from his own defender Esteve as he got his head to Elanga’s ball in before Gordon skimmed the bar with a well-struck 73rd-minute attempt.

Burnley got their reward just before the end when Ramsey was adjudged to have handled and Flemming struck from the spot.