Eddie Howe Hails Alexander Isak’s “Best Performance of the Season”

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe declared Alexander Isak’s display in Wednesday’s thrilling 3-3 draw against Liverpool as his “best performance of the season.” Despite recent injury concerns that had cast doubt on the Sweden international forward’s participation, Howe and the Magpies’ supporters were undoubtedly pleased with his involvement. Isak propelled Newcastle into a first-half lead with a powerful finish, had another potential goal disallowed due to offside, and saw his appeals for a penalty dismissed. When questioned about the 25-year-old’s impact during the action-packed match at St James’ Park against the Premier League leaders, Howe commented: “I think it was Alex’s best performance of the season for us. First of all, let’s take his goal. It was a goal out of nothing for us and this season we’ve missed those. Last season, he regularly scored goals that he was probably not expected to score, and those moments of magic can swing games your way, and that was a massive step towards doing that. He was elusive, difficult to mark and difficult to pick up and was popping up all over the place. He’s a great dribbler so it was great to see those qualities back in his game and I just thought it was a top performance from him.” Isak’s goal, scored in the 35th minute from a distance of 22 yards, established the momentum for a thrilling contest. This match saw Newcastle, who had not managed a single shot on target against Crystal Palace the previous weekend, demonstrate renewed effectiveness in front of goal. Howe further stated: “It’s great to have one of those moments from Alex because those moments of quality, he does possess and he’s delivered them consistently for us – maybe not so much this season, those strikes from distance, but he’s more than capable of doing that and that’s why he can make the difference for us.”