Jacob Murphy was one of Newcastle United’s stars in their win over Crystal Palace.
He continued his incredible run of form, with Jacob Murphy getting a goal and an assist in Newcastle’s 5-0 victory against Crystal Palace.
The 30-year-old opened the scoring with an incredible strike from the tightest of angles. He then got the assist for Fabian Schar, putting in a gloriously whipped cross on the stroke of half-time.
After the game, Jamie Redknapp praised Murphy for his performance.
However, Murphy believes there is another Newcastle United player who deserves some adulation for their performance against Crystal Palace.
Jacob Murphy thanks Nick Pope
Newcastle United thrashed Crystal Palace, but it could have been very different had it not been for Nick Pope’s penalty save to deny Eberechi Eze at 1-0.
Following the game, Murphy spoke about that moment during an interview with Newcastle’s official website.
“Really important, because we were dominating up until that point,” he said.
“If we had conceded there, the balance of the game may have changed.
“When the challenge came on the screen in the stadium, I think everyone saw it probably wasn’t [a penalty].
“He’s done unbelievable. What a big save that was at a really crucial time. That can’t be overlooked. We’re thanking Nick for that, and he produced another fantastic save in the second half to keep that clean sheet.”
Penalty save changed the game for Newcastle United
Eze had the chance to draw Crystal Palace level, but was denied by Pope.
It was a pivotal moment from Newcastle United’s goalkeeper, and Murphy has ensured that he gets his flowers.
However, the caveat is that Pope was actually the player that gave away the penalty. He travelled a long way to claim a free-kick, only to collide with Palace defender Chris Richards.
After a lengthy VAR delay, the referee eventually pointed to the spot and gave Palace a route back into the game. Speaking to Geordie Boot Boys, Mark Clattenburg was surprised by the decision, admitting that VAR should not have been involved in the incident.
Fortunately, it did not end up costing Newcastle. Pope stood tall and easily saved Eze’s poor penalty.
From that moment, the three points always belonged to the Magpies. Two minutes later, Newcastle made it 2-0 before kicking on towards an emphatic victory. The stadium was galvanised by the penalty incident, while Pope’s penalty save probably got one of the loudest cheers of the night.
While it was a result of his own error, Pope certainly played a pivotal role in Newcastle’s win over Palace.
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