Eddie Howe heaps praise on £45M star for an unnoticed aspect against Arsenal

Coming on the back of consecutive losses in the Premier League, few would have expected the way Newcastle performed against Arsenal. However, fighting all the odds, Eddie Howe's side put in an exceptional overall effort against Arsenal at the St. James, further bolstering their brilliant home record against the Gunners.

Eddie Howe heaps praise on £45M star for an unnoticed aspect against Arsenal

Having improvised on the lack of intensity and aggression that had been hampering their past results, Newcastle showed the willingness to fight for the important 3 points from the very beginning. After getting the early go-ahead goal, the Magpies club stood together as a unit, illustrating cohesiveness that prevented Arsenal's equalizer. Be it the attack force, their midfield, or the defensive unit, all three departments put in a commendable effort in the 1-0 win at St. James.

Understandably, the victory had many heroes for Newcastle United. Recently, speaking about the fixture, manager Eddie Howe praised a special Toon star who pleased him with his performance. 23-year-old star winger Anthony Gordon, who was exceptional with his overall display while contributing to the winning goal, received huge praise from Howe. However, surprisingly, the manager had special words for him for his unnoticed role, apart from his goal assist.

Although certainly Gordon's inch-perfect ball to star forward Isak, which gave them the lead, deserves applause, Howe was very pleased with his defending skills. In the important matchday against an attack force like Arsenal, Gordon did excellent work at the back, joining in with Tino Livramento to eliminate key star Martinelli's effect on the right. Given the player the Brazilian is, he could have been detrimental for Newcastle, but Gordon's double-up with Livramento kept him quiet.

Deservedly, manager Howe praised Gordon's off-the-ball brilliance, saying,

"“I thought his effort to help Tino on the sides was huge. He was regularly back to double up, which might go unnoticed by a lot of people, but certainly not the coaches. Full credit to him for that.""

- Eddie Howe

Something very similar was demonstrated by the duo of Joe Willock and Joelinton, who were constantly making back runs to help prodigy ace Hall. Considering the way Newcastle's flank players have performed in the last two games, against Arsenal and Chelsea, it seems that manager Howe has got the winning success for the side. Newcastle fans would hope that the club continues the same way going forward as they look forward to European qualification.