Harvey Barnes sends message direct to Leicester City fans as relegation looms
Harvey Barnes got on the scoresheet as Newcastle United beat his former club Leicester City 3-0 at the King Power Stadium.
Monday’s meeting in the East Midlands was a stroll in the park for Eddie Howe’ Magpies, who took the lead inside 116 seconds through Jacob Murphy, were 2-0 up nine minutes later, and never looked back.
With Leicester already reeling having seen the result all-but sealed within the opening quarter of an hour, Barnes added insult to injury with Newcastle’s third on 34 minutes, refusing to celebrate afterwards.
Barnes’ goal put the cherry on the icing of a result which looked certain with the game just two minutes old, and as Leicester edge closer to the Championship, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s fate could also be sealed.
Leicester fans sent message after Harvey Barnes setback
Newcastle waltzing to a comfortable 3-0 victory at the King Power maintains their push for Champions League football, but only pushes Leicester further towards an immediate return to the second-tier.
| Player | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists | Games Missed |
| Harvey Barnes | 32 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
Barnes netting against his former employers saw Alan Smith express his dismay at Leicester’s demise, with the 27-year-old’s strike reminding Foxes fans of how good things used to be, and not that long ago.
Posting on Instagram (8 April) after Newcastle’s climb up to fifth in the Premier League table, Barnes focused on Leicester more than his current side, saying: “Three points… Thank you to the home fans for your reception.”
Harvey Barnes-level transfers unlikely for Leicester this summer
Leicester are fast becoming unrecognisable from the team which was relegated under Brendan Rodgers and Dean Smith in 2022–23, with more and more players moving on after their initial demotion.
Barnes recently responded on social media when former team-mate Hamza Choudhury made his debut for Sheffield United after being sent out on loan; another example of Leicester’s old side breaking up.
The Foxes were able to move on Barnes and James Maddison for huge sums in summer 2023, easing the financial burden of their relegation, but as Van Nistelrooy’s side look set to drop out of the top-flight with less than 20 points this time around, any big-money sales are a fantasy.