‘Amazing’: Eddie Howe says 27-year-old NUFC star had barely trained before last night’s game

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Just like they did against AC Milan, Newcastle United really dug in and fought for their lives against Manchester City.

But this was a very different Toon team, and one that was able to knock Man City out of the Carabao Cup.

Eddie Howe made 10 changes to his starting lineup, one of which saw Joelinton return to the side after missing the Magpies’ previous three games with a knee injury.

However, he was spotted in training in the buildup to the game, and was able to produce a wonderous 90 minutes to help Newcastle advance to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, where they will face Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Given the fact he had only just returned from injury, it was a really impressive performance from Joelinton, and one that delighted his manager.

Eddie Howe delighted to have Joelinton back against Man City

After the game, Howe spoke to NUFC TV. He heaped praise on Joelinton for his performance against Man City.

“It was a big effort for him,” he said.

“He hasn’t had a huge amount of training time, but I thought he did a great job for the team. He came in and worked incredibly hard. He was probably the one player in the first half that was getting close to people and winning his duels.

“He’ll really benefit from the minutes tonight. He’s such a big player for us. We’re delighted to have him back.

“Joe at his best is a goal scorer, a goal creator. He’s also a ball-winner for us so he has amazing qualities that we need. We’d love to see him back to his very best and I think that will come with more training and more games.

“He’s a huge player.”

Huge performance from Newcastle’s number seven

It was really impressive to see Joelinton play at the level he did for the full 90 minutes, having only just returned from injury.

As Howe says, he was the one player in the first half who was pressing and winning the ball. Luckily, his teammates followed suit in the second half.

It was important for Joelinton to impress on Wednesday night. Sean Longstaff and Elliot Anderson have stepped up in his absence, making it difficult for the Brazilian to get back into the Premier League XI. But he proved his value against Man City, and Howe is eager for him to keep improving and get back to his best.

His work off the ball was tremendous, but he also provided the golden touch in the final third. It was his cross that found Alexander Isak, who scored to keep Newcastle’s Carabao Cup dream alive as the club look to go one better than last season.