Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has welcomed Alexander Isak’s return to top form after his “best performance of the season” in a six-goal thriller against Liverpool.
The Sweden international blasted the Magpies into a first-half lead, saw another finish disallowed for offside and had strong penalty appeals waved away against the Premier League leaders.
Asked about the 25-year-old’s contribution to an eventful 3-3 draw at St James’ Park on Wednesday, head coach Howe said: “I think it was Alex’s best performance of the season for us.
“First of all, let’s take his goal. It was a goal out of nothing for us, really, and this season we’ve missed those.
“Last season, he regularly scored goals that he was probably not expected to score, and those moments of magic can swing games your way, and that was a massive step towards doing that.
“He was elusive, difficult to mark and difficult to pick up and was popping up all over the place. He’s a great dribbler, so it was great to see those qualities back in his game, and I just thought it was a top performance from him.”
Isak’s 35th-minute strike, a rasping drive from 22 yards, set the tone for a hugely entertaining match as a Newcastle side which failed to muster a single attempt on goal at Crystal Palace at the weekend rediscovered their sense of adventure.
Howe said: “It’s great to have one of those moments from Alex because those moments of quality, he does possess and he’s delivered them consistently for us – maybe not so much this season, those strikes from distance, but he’s more than capable of doing that and that’s why he can make the difference for us.”
Newcastle’s lead did not last, with Curtis Jones levelling within five minutes of the restart, and although Anthony Gordon fired them back ahead, Mohamed Salah’s double looked to have won it for the visitors until Fabian Schar slid home a 90th-minute equaliser.
Keeper Nick Pope sparked hopes of an even more dramatic conclusion when he hurled the ball out to Isak, with Callum Wilson and Joe Willock in support against just two defenders deep into added time, only for referee Andy Madley to blow the full-time whistle.
Howe said: “I was hoping it would be one of those moments. I was thinking we might get one more chance – and I was hoping the counter-attack would be that – but obviously it wasn’t to be.”