Garth Crooks has named Jamaal Lascelles and Anthony Gordon in his Premier League Team of the Week following our 4-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday night.
The BBC pundit has hailed Jamaal Lascelles’ turnaround under Eddie Howe, believing he’s taken his chance after ‘waiting patiently’ and is now one of our ‘main contributors’ following a knee injury to Sven Botman.
The skipper gave the ball away in the build up to Raheem Sterling’s equaliser, but responded in style with a second half header, sending us 2-1 up on the hour mark.
As for Gordon, he set up Lascelles’ goal, scored his fifth of the season with a superb low finish and got Reece James sent off, skipping past the England right-back before he was hauled down. Crooks believes the winger ‘looks like he was born to play for the Geordies’ and is thriving under Howe’s management.
Here’s what he’s had to say on both, along with his Premier League Team of the Week in full:
Jamaal Lascelles (Newcastle): I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like it: Reece James sent off for two of the most pathetic and unnecessary bookings you will ever see, Thiago Silva playing as though his head was somewhere else and Chelsea sent packing, having had four goals put past them. One of those goals was scored by Jamaal Lascelles who has waited patiently to not just get back into this Newcastle side but is now featuring as one of their main contributors. Against Bournemouth, just before the international break, some Newcastle fans were questioning the team’s commitment amid a catalogue of injuries. I wonder what they are saying this week?
Anthony Gordon: (Newcastle) This player continues to thrive at Newcastle under the direction of Eddie Howe. The ball for Jamaal Lascelles to head home was fabulous, while his finish to put Newcastle 4-1 up was taken brilliantly. The former Everton player looks like he was born to play for the Geordies and has taken to his new environment like a duck to water. However, the Magpies have the most punishing schedule ahead of them. They play Paris St-Germain on Tuesday and return to face Manchester United at home on Saturday. They then travel to Everton, Tottenham, host Milan and then play Chelsea again in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. If you want to be a big club that’s the price you have to pay.
