Eddie Howe now says £55m Newcastle United player took a 'big step' on Saturday in game against Everton
Newcastle United's win over Everton on Saturday was a rare case where every player on the pitch was excellent. It has been a very rare occurrence this season where we've not had anything to really pick at after the full-time whistle.
We had our reservations when the team sheet was released, seeing that Sandro Tonali was on the bench with Lewis Miley in the team ahead of him.
On the wing, Anthony Elanga was preferred to Jacob Murphy, and that was a worry given how hard Elanga has found it to adapt this season.
Elanga grabbed his first assist of the season while Miley nabbed a goal and an assist. Fair play to Eddie Howe.
Eddie Howe says Anthony Elanga took a big step forward at Newcastle on Saturday
Anthony Elanga, in particular, will have felt a wave of relief after picking up his first goal contribution, but it wasn't just his assist for Nick Woltemade that got Newcastle fans off their feet, as it was his first-minute shot that got Newcastle the corner that Malick Thiaw scored from. Eddie Howe has addressed Elanga's progress in Monday morning's press conference (via The Chronicle).
"The first transition of the game right from kick off was him running the full length of the pitch. It is a big change for any player but it was a big step forward in terms of getting used to the demands of being a Newcastle player."
We can only hope that this gives the Swede a huge confidence boost, and it will allow him to kick on from here.
Eddie Howe enjoyed Nick Woltemade's cheeky dink on Saturday
Meanwhile, Howe also spoke about the goal from Nick Woltemade that followed Elanga's pass.
"That was one of my favourite goals of his so far. I think the finish was on but very few players could execute it in the manner he does."
It's probably safe to assume it was a lot of Newcastle fans' favourite too just because of who it was against. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing Jordan Pickford flapping.
