Dan Burn saved Eddie Howe from receiving ticking off from referee as Newcastle United beat Manchester United
Newcastle United kept Eddie Howe's streak of beating Manchester United at St James' Park going, extending it to four wins in a row thanks to a 90th-minute Will Osula wonder strike.
The Danish Under-21 international became the unlikely Newcastle United hero last night after he ran from one end of the pitch to the other before curling in an inch-perfect effort on 90 minutes to secure the three points for the Magpies.
Eddie Howe spoke about Osula asking for 10 extra shots after training on Tuesday, saying he practised that exact finish and scored eight out of 10 times. That commitment is likely what earned Osula the opportunity to get a run out ahead of Yoane Wissa, who was also on the bench.
As Howe said after the game, hard work leads to rewards, and it certainly did in this case. It also nearly resulted in Howe getting a ticking off from the referee if it weren't for Big Dan Burn.
Dan Burn stopped Eddie Howe from picking up a booking
Dan Burn said it was the fastest he'd run all game to catch up and celebrate with Osula, and he was in a fine place to stop Howe from receiving the wrong attention from referee Peter Bankes, as he told Premier League Productions' Andy Sixsmith after the game.
“I had to drag the gaffer back so he didn’t get booked too! Big result going into a big run of games that you dream of as a kid!
“Huge win. We’ve been disappointed last couple of games not to pick up the wins we wanted. We had the feeling before the game. Wednesday night. Man U at home. The fans gave us so much energy.
“I was shouting at Will to go to the corner so when he cut in I wasn’t very happy! Buzzing for him - to cut in and put it in the corner - I’m so happy for him. That’s the quickest I’ve ran all day running to celebrate with him.”
Dan Burn was excellent last night
We're sure Eddie Howe wouldn't have minded taking the booking, to be fair, as it was a goal that was worthy of an exuberant celebration.
We questioned Dan Burn's involvement before the game yesterday when the team news was released, and once again, we had to sit down and eat a heaping bowl full of humble pie as he was outstanding at the back for Newcastle.
In fact, Eddie Howe got everything right last night with his team selection and substitutions. We really should learn to stop questioning him. We won't. But we should.
