The unsung heroes from Newcastle 3-1 Everton – It wasn’t all about Trippier & ASM…

Last night was brilliant. Three goals, a superb atmosphere, a comeback victory and back-to-back wins secured to move us out of the relegation zone.

Kieran Trippier was outstanding at both ends of the pitch, Allan Saint-Maximin simply unplayable and Ryan Fraser deserved his goal after another tireless shift from the Scot, but there were others in a black and white shirt who did brilliant jobs for the team.

The first unsung hero last night was Matt Targett, for me. The Aston Villa loanee wasn’t bombing up the line or doing anything particularly flashy, but he didn’t put a foot wrong.

He was strong in the the tackle, positionally excellent, grew in confidence on the ball, read the danger well and put in one brilliant cross that Ryan Fraser almost headed home. It’s a shame he can’t play against his parent club on Sunday, but great to see him look like an immediate upgrade in what has been a problem position over the years.

Then to our next unsung hero on the night – Jamaal Lascelles.

The skipper has taken a lot of criticism this season, and it’s sometimes been justified based on his costly errors, penalty giveaways or limitations on the ball. However, he put in a rock solid defensive display last night, recovering well from the unfortunate own goal, getting us back into the game before the break and stamping his authority with some thunderous tackles. He had one silly moment, letting the ball bounce before fouling Richarlison is a dangerous area just after we went 2-1 up, but he generally dealt with the Brazilian.

Next up is Joe Willock, who had a mixed first half but looked like his old self in the second 45.

His pressing was relentless, he was brave on the ball and stretched Everton’s nervy defence with a few brilliant runs into the final third. After stepping up in the second half at Leeds and leaving many surprised that he got in the side ahead of Guimaraes last night, it was great to see him step up and deliver.

In truth, everyone put a shift in for the team, with us showing real character to not only come from 1-0 down, but to also kick on, score a third and keep our heads in a second half that was oh-so different to that collapse against Watford last month.