Eddie Howe pleased with £40M star's solid performance in Newcastle's Carabao Cup win

Coming on the back of two consecutive losses in the PL campaign, Newcastle United defying the odds secured a 2-0 convincing win against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup. While certainly the win felt brilliant, given that it advanced them to the Cup quarter finals, being that it came against the Blues, days after a disappointing loss, made it even more special.

Eddie Howe pleased with £40M star's solid performance in Newcastle's Carabao Cup win

As was expected, it was never easy for Newcastle to defeat Chelsea; however, a brilliant combination of manager Howe's brave decisions and an impressive performance from the players helped them win comfortably. Although star forward Alexander Isak bolstered the media spotlight for his masterclass display, the victory had many more positives for Newcastle United.

One of them was certainly the performance of ace star Joelinton, who has had a quite inconsistent season so far. However, being tested out in a slightly different setup, being more free to link up with prodigy Joe Willock on the left win, the 28-year-old performed at his best level, being brilliant on both ends. Deservedly, the Brazilian powerhouse received huge praise from Eddie Howe, who seemed completely convinced by his performance.

Speaking after the fixture, Howe remarked,

"“I have to say a special well done to Joelinton today.”"

- Eddie Howe

Moreover, stressing out the player's versatility that allowed him to utilize Joelinton in multiple roles during the important clash, Howe said,

"“His versatility is just incredible; he’s such a bonus for us to be able to play him wide left, wide right, wingback, brilliant performance.”"

- Eddie Howe

So far this season, Joelinton has been playing in the central midfield role; however, his recent performance in a bit out wide wing role seems to have brought his best level. Combining brilliantly in the offensive play on the left wing alongside Willock, Joelinton just got short of a goal to his name from a perfect fixture. In fact, had he not been denied by the crossbar off a brilliant ball from Isak, the versatile star might have been a huge contention for the fixture's MOTM.

However, even if it were not the case, Joelinton has shown manager Howe once again clear signs of utilizing him in this new role more. Also, given that his best campaign with Newcastle had been the result of his heroics in the dynamic midfield-wing role, Howe might be compelled to feature him more in his preferred role going forward. While it does demand a bit of change, as Howe executed against Chelsea, it might be a huge addition to their current regular setup.