Forget Isak & Gordon: 8/10 Newcastle ace showed he’d walk into Arsenal’s XI
For the second time in three seasons, Newcastle United are Wembley-bound for the Carabao Cup final. Eddie Howe’s side put in a fantastic performance over the course of the two legs against Arsenal, with 2-0 wins in each game. The Magpies will face either Liverpool or Tottenham in the final, with the North Londoners having a narrow 1-0 advantage.
It was a fantastic night for the North Eastern outfit. Alexander Isak thought he had an early goal, but it was ruled out for offside. Nevertheless, it got St James’ Park rocking, and it wasn’t long before they could celebrate again, this time with a goal that counted.
Again, it was Isak who was involved, with his powerful shot hitting the post after a smart run in behind the defence. The rebound fell kindly to Jacob Murphy, with the right-winger finishing the chance from yards out.
The Magpies doubled their lead just seven minutes after the second half began. Anthony Gordon was the man who was able to take advantage of a poor mistake from Arsenal. The Gunners goalkeeper David Raya played Declan Rice into trouble with a poor pass, with the ball falling to Gordon who converted.
It was a fantastic performance from the Magpies, who played the two legs perfectly and have thus reached a deserved Wembley final. Gordon and Isak simply terrorised the Gunners’ defence.
Gordon and Isak’s stats vs. Arsenal
If you need a player to rise to the big occasion, Newcastle might have the best player for the job in the entire Premier League. That man is Gordon, who has 17 goals and assists in 19 games against the traditional big six since the start of last season.
He was phenomenal on Wednesday, aside from his goal. The winger played a huge part in the Magpies’ opener. His touch set Isak away and running into space, which, in turn, led to Murphy’s goal. As per Sofascore, Gordon created two chances and worked hard off the ball, winning seven duels.
As for Isak, he was a nightmare for Gabriel and William Saliba. He just sat on their shoulder all night, making runs in behind and constantly making a nuisance of himself. This worked a treat, given he had an early goal ruled out and in essence created the opener.
One person who was very impressed with the Swede’s performance against Arsenal was Jordan Cronin. The journalist for Newcastle World gave him an 8/10 for his efforts on Wednesday night, describing his performance as ‘deadly’.
There is no doubt that both Gordon and Isak were fantastic against the Gunners. However, someone who perhaps stood out more was Sandro Tonali.
Tonali’s performance vs. Arsenal
What a performance from Italian midfielder Tonali. He was excellent at St James’ Park, dominating the midfield, and really stepping up in Joelinton’s absence. The lack of the Brazilian’s presence in midfield was certainly not felt by the Magpies.
He was given an 8/10 rating from Cronin, just as Isak was. The journalist was full of praise for the Italian, explaining how he ‘used the ball well’ and noted Tonali ‘carried out his defensive duties’ on the night.
The former AC Milan star was fantastic against Rice in the centre of the park, who made a bit of a blunder for Gordon’s goal. Although Raya’s pass was not the best, SDS Podcast regular Abz Busquets explained that the Arsenal number 41 needed to put his “body in between ball and man” in that instance.
In fact, there are stats courtesy of Squawka that suggest Tonali has been outperforming Rice in the Premier League this season too.
For example, he has won more duels per game than the England international, with five compared to four, and averages more forward passes per game, with 14.3 compared to 12.5.
Tonali vs. Rice key stats 2024/25 PL
Stat (per 90)
Tonali
Rice
Through balls
0.4
0.2
Forward passes
14.3
12.5
Take-on success rate
56.25
44.44
Duels won
5
4
Ball recoveries
6.5
4.8
Stats from Squawka
Tonali was fantastic on Wednesday, and certainly would not look out of place in the Gunners’ midfield – a unit that appears in desperate need of a new number six, amid links to Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi ahead of the summer window.
As for the Magpies, it must surely be a positive that they have a player in Tonali, plus the likes of Isak and Gordon, who can hit those kinds of levels when it matters most.
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