Newcastle Jets crush Wellington Phoenix with Matildas' Emily van Egmond impressing

Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond made an impressive return to Newcastle colours, helping the Jets to a 5-1 A-League Women rout over the Wellington Phoenix.

In her first game for the club since 2018, Van Egmond laid on an assist from a corner for the first of Tara Andrews' two goals at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday.

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Andrews' two-minute second-half double came after Kirsty Fenton gave Newcastle the lead with her maiden goal at this level in the 33rd minute.

Norwegian Marie Dolvik Markussen netted the Jets' second after half-time with Sophie Harding adding a fifth for Ash Wilson's side after Andrews had bagged her brace.

Ava Pritchard tapped in an 81st-minute corner to score the Phoenix's first-ever goal but it was too little too late.

Van Egmond signed with the Jets this week on a short-term contract ahead of the Matildas' Asian Cup campaign, and the Australian international had an instant impact on a Newcastle side that was overrun in last week's season-opener by Sydney FC.

Her passing was a class above and she fired a warning shot onto the top of the Phoenix net with half an hour gone.

But while the experienced Matilda was pulling all the strings high up the pitch, it was one of the Jets' rawest talents who gave them a deserved breakthrough.

Fenton dispatched a cross into the box but the wind carried the delivery goalward, over the top of Phoenix goalkeeper Lily Alfeld, and into the back of the net.

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Fenton's day was cut short, however, when she hobbled off with an ankle injury in the second half.

The stoppage failed to interrupt Newcastle's rhythm when the Phoenix surrendered possession playing out from the back.

Dolvik intercepted and surged towards the Wellington box and fired home past Alfeld, off the post, in the 55th minute.

Andrews then outjumped Grace Jale at a Van Egmond corner on 61 minutes, before adding her second less than 90 seconds later.

Harding notched a fifth after combining with Lauren Allan in the 73rd minute with Pritchard responding from a corner to write her name into the history books.