Callum Wilson bagged his 18th goal of the season for Newcastle United last night but manager Eddie Howe curtailed his celebrations as the ball hit the net.
Eddie Howe watched on as Callum Wilson burst past the Brighton defence on the 89th minute to go one-on-one with Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele then calmly roll the ball past him to bag Newcastle‘s third goal of the night and ease Geordie nerves.
The stadium erupted as the ball hit the back of the net but Eddie Howe barely celebrated because he was convinced the goal wouldn’t stand.
Eddie Howe praised the linesman for his ‘incredible’ call
Speaking to beIN Sports after the match, Howe was asked how he felt when he saw Wilson score that goal: “I thought Callum was offside to be honest,” said Howe. “So I was a little bit muted in my celebrations because he just flashed across me and I thought there’s a good chance he could be off.
“Callum finished it brilliantly. The linesman actually made an incredible call and VAR backed that up, so that was great to see. At that point we knew the game was ours, it was an incredible feeling.”
I have to admit, I shared in Howe’s trepidation as I thought Wilson was offside initially and the linesman was just allowing play to continue to cover his backside. As Howe said, though, it was a brilliant call and VAR showed just how perfectly timed Wilson’s run was.
Miguel Almiron needs to be given the credit he deserves for that goal too
Credit also has to be given to Miguel Almiron, not just for superbly weighted through ball but for that turn of pace that saw him leave Moises Caicedo flailing behind him. Miggy had his best game for Newcastle since his return from injury, if only he could have converted one of his gilt-edged chances.
Newcastle then went on to score again a minute later with the help of Callum Wilson once more and the game was put beyond doubt. Wilson could have added yet another soon after the fourth goal when he was one-on-one with Steele again but he seemed to get caught in two minds and his shot was more of a pass into Steele’s grateful grasp.
It was a comprehensive win by the Magpies and another statement to the Darren Bents of this world: That Champions League place is ours.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
