Everton were hit by three second-half goals as Newcastle United overturned a two-goal deficit to condemn the Blues to defeat at St James’ Park.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison struck before half-time, with Jordan Pickford keeping out a penalty from Matt Ritchie when Everton were one goal to the good.

Salomon Rondon halved the deficit on 65 minutes. And fellow striker Ayoze Perez scored twice in quick succession late in the game to inflict a cruel defeat on Marco Silva’s team.

Everton had appeared capable of opening up their hosts every time they crossed halfway in the first hour of a feisty contest.

Calvert-Lewin’s headed goal – his eighth strike from 15 starts in all competitions this season – was a peach.

Lucas Digne was the creator, the fourth time Everton’s left-back has crossed tellingly for the striker this term.

Digne scampered forward on the overlap and was the recipient of the most delicious reverse pass from Bernard – Bernard, in fact, was making a habit of this, delivering a carbon copy on the stroke of half-time which nearly played in Gylfi Sigurdsson.

On this occasion, Digne lifted a cross to the near post where Calvert-Lewin arrived to flash his 18th-minute finish across Martin Dubravka and into the far corner.

Everton were firmly in the ascendancy at this point. Dubravka had saved from Sigurdsson inside 60 seconds. And even then, the Newcastle ‘keeper had already been called into action, given the hurry up by a fast-advancing Calvert-Lewin and forced to slash the ball clear from outside his box.

Sigurdsson had another effort blocked by defender Florian Lejeune after a slick one-two down the left saw Digne sprint onto Bernard’s pass to clip in a low ball.

Fast forward to minute 32 and Everton’s second goal represented a kick to the solar plexus for the home team.

It came 60 seconds after Pickford made amends for fouling Rondon to concede a penalty by saving with his legs from wing-back Ritchie’s blast down the middle.

Everton sprang up the other end, refused to let Newcastle off the hook and, eventually, went two up.

Richarlison had a fairly easy job to turn the ball home for his 11th Premier League goal this term after Dubravka could only push Andre Gomes’ low cross directly to the Brazilian’s feet. 

Newcastle had not been without their chances, penalty aside. Perez was over with a looping header after Pickford punched out a Ritchie cross.

Fabian Schar was wildly off-target from distance shortly before he stretched out a leg at the other end to prevent Calvert-Lewin getting on the end of Sigurdsson’s curling cross from the right.

Kurt Zouma did similar in Everton’s penalty box, the Frenchman leaping to take another high Ritchie delivery off the head of Rondon.

And Pickford was sharply down to his left to save from Perez after the little Spaniard dodged Everton’s offside trap to fashion a shooting chance.

Zouma was switched on directly after the break to divert a wicked low Ritchie cross behind.

Everton, though, retained their offensive threat the whole time. Calvert-Lewin was intermittently dropping deep to bounce off passes to runners. More often than not, though, he was haring beyond Newcastle’s backline.

He left his marker for dead to collect a pass from Sigurdsson, then chopped back to tee up Bernard, who missed out on his first Premier League strike with an angled shot beyond the far post.

Rondon was then wide with a chip after being released by a long ball from the back.

But the big South American had his goal with 26 minutes remaining. Rondon and Perez traded possession one way or another around the edge of the box, the former steadily peeling away to the back post to receive Perez’s dink and volley home.

Calvert-Lewin was inches from restoring Everton’s two-goal advantage when he spun and struck beyond Dubravka’s left post from 12 yards.

In the meantime, Newcastle substitute Paul Dummett was narrowly too high with a flicked header following Ritchie’s inswinger from the right.

But Perez was first on the scene when Pickford beat out a venomous long-range strike from Miguel Almiron, the forward descending to thrash in on the rebound with nine minutes to play.

Pickford saved at his near-post from Dummett’s left-sided stinger.

But three minutes after his equaliser, Perez completed the turnaround. Rondon could not tame a high ball into the box. The ball deflected off the forward’s thigh and ran favourably for Perez, who rammed in from six yards with his left foot.