It is quite odd for a player to have a breakthrough season aged 30, but that is exactly what is happening with Murphy, who did not start more than 17 Premier League matches in a single season until this campaign.

Boyhood Toon fan Murphy joined the club from Norwich in 2017.

For seven years he was on the fringes of the Newcastle squad, and had been loaned out to West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday.

But, this season, he has become a star – and a big reason is down to his connection with Alexander Isak.

Only Mohamed Salah (18) has more assists than Murphy’s 11 in the Premier League this season.

Seven of those assists have been for Newcastle striker Isak.

If he sets him up three more times the pair will break a Premier League record.

Murphy did not assist Isak on Wednesday night, but it was only because of the Swede’s poor finishing.

In the first five minutes Murphy twice reached the byeline and put in deliciously dangerous crosses which Isak was unable to turn in.

It was Murphy who did open the scoring, beating goalkeeper Dean Henderson for power with a shot which some may say suspiciously looked like a cross.

“I did mean it, yeah,” Murphy told Sky Sports. “When the juice is flowing, you’ve just got to hit it.

“The defender’s come out so it was going to be hard to get it through him so I thought ‘ah, just shoot here’. Lovely.”