Joleon Lescott admits Newcastle star is ‘underrated’ after beating Everton

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Joe Willock got himself another assist on Thursday night, setting up Joelinton brilliantly during Newcastle United’s 4-1 win.

The 23-year-old produced one of the passes of the season at the weekend, with Willock showing incredible skill and vision to pick out Alexander Isak during Newcastle‘s win against Tottenham.

The £25million midfielder showed off another one of his attributes at Goodison Park, producing a bursting run to the byline before picking out Joelinton in the box.

With Newcastle piling on the pressure on the second half, Willock received possession from Dan Burn. He then accelerated past Ben Godfrey like he wasn’t even there, showing incredible speed to take on the Everton defender.

His cross found Joelinton, who scored his eighth goal of the season.

Lescott believes Joe Willock deserves more credit for his pace

After the game, the BT Sport pundits analysed Joelinton’s goal, particularly the role of Willock. Former Everton defender Joleon Lescott was especially impressed, highlighting just how impressive his speed is.

“I think that’s one thing from Joe Willock’s game that’s underrated is pace,” he said.

“I remember earlier in the season he ran at Kyle Walker and went ‘I’m going to go past you’. You don’t see many players that attempt to do that.

“So the fact that he easily goes past Godfrey who’s pretty quick himself – he’s got a lot of confidence in his game at the moment.”

Willock’s speed is no surprise to Newcastle fans

While Lescott believes that Willock’s pace is underrated, it is no surprise to Newcastle fans. We have seen him leave defenders trailing time and time again since joining the club.

The best example is the one Lescott mentioned when he roared past Kyle Walker earlier in the season. That was absolutely astounding, as Walker is one of the quickest defenders around. But he was no match for Willock on that day.

It is a fantastic asset to have, and something that makes Willock a real danger. Not only is he quick, but he is quick in possession. That is what makes him so difficult to stop.

He used his pace to great effect on Thursday night, helping him record his sixth assist of the season. This one was not as good as his one against Spurs, but it was still pretty special.

Hopefully Willock’s pace continues to be underrated. That way defenders won’t wise up and find a way to stop him.