UP ’N HOWAY

Perez fires Toon back to Prem

AYOZE PEREZ fired Newcastle back into the big time last night.

The Spaniard scored twice as Rafa Benitez’s side clinched promotion from the Championship at the first attempt.

Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie were also on target but Benitez was made to suffer before his team guaranteed a Premier League return.

Everything was going according to plan in the opening stages as the Toon went in search of a repeat of their 6-0 thrashing of Preston in the EFL Cup.

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored two of those goals and added two more in the league game at Deepdale and the Serb striker almost tormented North End again after only four minutes.

He headed wide, much to the relief of keeper Chris Maxwell who had allowed the ball to bounce over him.

Mitrovic went close again with a sixth-minute shot that was deflected wide but Preston cracked just a minute later when they failed to deal with a Ritchie corner.

Jamaal Lascelles rose well to glance it Yp 8C<O ;8M@;JFE towards Perez, who pounced to score at the far post. The Toon Army sat back and practised their promotion chants but they should have known better.

They had seen their side lose five times at home in the league this season and Preston were level seven minutes later.

Fault

Rob Elliot, given a shock recall in goal in place of Karl Darlow after a 13-month injury absence, rescued Newcastle when Daniel Johnson raced clear onto a raking pass from Paul Gallagher.

And Lascelles and his fellow defenders were again at fault when Jordan Hugill guided in the equaliser from Tom Barkhuizen’s cross in the 14th minute.

But Newcastle regained the lead in stoppage-time when Isaac Hayden broke from near the halfway line and picked out Mitrovic, whose intelligent first-time pass set up Atsu to score.

Perez could have ended Preston’s hopes in the opening moments of the second half but his close-range shot was blocked by Maxwell.

And there was a warning for United in the 55th minute when Barkhuizen again found room down the left before producing a cross that was narrowly missed by Hugill.

Preston’s resistance ended, though, midway through the half as Gallagher handled a shot from Hayden on the line goalkeeper-style and was sent off.

Ritchie slotted in the penalty for his 16th goal of the season and Perez then chested in his second goal in the 67th minute to seal promotion in style.