Howe issues warning to Newcastle over possible sale of star man Isak
NEWCASTLE dented Tottenham’s Champions League push with a 4-0 win at St James’ Park, where Alexander Isak scored twice.
Isak put the Magpies ahead on the half-hour with a low shot into the corner and Anthony Gordon soon made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute.
Sweden forward Isak took his season tally past the 20-goal mark when he added another after breaking clear early in the second half before Fabian Schar scored a late fourth from a corner to boost Newcastle’s own European hopes.
Afterwards, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe warned his bosses they would have to start again if they sold Isak this summer with the 24-year-old Sweden international, the Magpies’ £63 million record signing, linked with both Arsenal and Tottenham in recent weeks.
Asked about the need to retain his services, head coach Howe said: “We are trying to build a team, we are trying to grow everything, really, upwards and to do that as quickly as possible and as efficiently as you can, you need to keep your best players, otherwise you enter a different period where you go into transition and you have to start again.
“Your top players, the elite ones, are so difficult to recruit, they’re so difficult to find, so when we get them, we’ve got to try to keep them.”
Asked how good Isak could be, Howe said: “For me, he’s so exciting to work with, he’s got so many facets to his game we can explore and try to make better. First and foremost, he has the undeniable quality that he wants to score, he needs to score – that’s a great characteristic for any striker to have. But he also plays for the team, he doesn’t play for himself, which is rare. You can see him linking play and doing things that the team needs, not just what he needs. I thought it was a great performance from him today.”
It proved a testing day for Ange Postecoglou’s men, who were trounced 6-1 in the corresponding fixture last season before his arrival, although the Australian played down the significance of that result.
Postecoglou said: “I think there are other explanations beyond that as to why we didn’t perform. Some of it is down to the opposition, some of it is just down to us. We didn’t really get a control of the game, like we have been, and we paid a price for that.”
Elsewhere, relegation-battlers Burnley missed the chance to make up ground on the sides above them after a mistake from goalkeeper Arijanet Muric handed Brighton an equaliser at Turf Moor. Substitute Josh Brownhill put the Clarets ahead in the 74th minute. Brighton, though, were back on level terms just five minutes later when Muric allowed a back-pass from Sander Berge to go under his foot for an own goal.
Brentford secured a first league win since early February as they beat bottom club Sheffield United 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The Bees broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute through an own goal from Blades midfielder Oliver Arblaster.
Mikkel Damsgaard thought he had added a second but his strike was ruled out by VAR for a foul in the build-up, before substitute Frank Onyeka did make it 2-0 in stoppage time.
Nottingham Forest fought back to draw 2-2 with Wolves and edge a point further clear of Luton, who remain in the final relegation spot.
Wolves took the lead five minutes before the break through a curling strike by Matheus Cunha.
Forest, though, were level in firsthalf stoppage time when Morgan Gibbs-White flicked in from a corner.
Danilo put Forest in front when he slotted in a rebound after 57 minutes, but the visitors were soon back level when Cunha struck again.
The late match saw Manchester United twice come from behind to draw 2-2 at Bournemouth.
Dominic Solanke fired the Cherries into a 16th-minute lead but Bruno Fernandes drilled in from close range to equalise after 31 minutes.
Bournemouth soon regained the lead through Justin Kluivert, but Fernandes struck again in the 66th minute when he slotted in a penalty following a handball given against Adam Smith.