Ashley Williams admits he knew Newcastle United player is ‘unbelievable’ after watching him in 2020

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Newcastle United suffered an embarrassing collapse against Fulham on Saturday.

Just when it looked like Newcastle United could fight their way to an 11th in 12 games, Fulham scored twice in the second half to hand the Magpies another defeat at St James’ Park.

Newcastle’s loss to Fulham was a sign that Eddie Howe’s side still has a lot of work to do if they want to play Champions League football next season.

Newcastle fans were fuming at Joe Willock’s performance after the 25-year-old put in a poor shift off the bench, missing a huge opportunity shortly after coming on for Joelinton.

Elsewhere, Anthony Gordon fell to his knees after the defeat. He took a fair share of knocks from the Fulham players and played his part in the Magpies goal.

After making a statement and performing so well during Newcastle’s 3-1 win against Southampton the week prior, star striker Alexander Isak was lacklustre in defeat. The Swede’s first shot of the game did not come until the 75th minute although it was an effort that rattled off the crossbar.

Isak could be handed part of the blame for Fulham’s second after losing goalscorer Rodrigo Muniz for the free-kick.

Before the game former footballer and pundit Ashley Williams made one surreal admission about a Newcastle man.

Ashley Williams always had faith in Alexander Isak

The defeat to Fulham was the second straight home loss for the Magpies in a ground that opponents are usually fearful of coming to.

Speaking on BBC Final Score, former Everton and Wales defender Ashley Williams was asked about Isak and his form so far this season.

“Isak is really impressive,” he said.

“I remember watching him in Euro 2020 and thought he was unbelievable.

“He is in such form but it is not just him. The team are playing well and they supply him with the ammunition and he goes and finishes it.”

Fulham were solid defensively throughout the game. Isak’s one big chance is an indication that most top strikers in Europe would struggle to score past that defence.

Alexander Isak must bounce back after disappointing performance

Newcastle’s defeat was sure to have been a tough watch at times for fans. After going ahead and nearly scoring a second shortly after through Tino Livramento there was a feeling that the Magpies could have run away with the game.

Instead, Newcastle failed to use the momentum they had built up from the first half when they came out for the second period.

Howe now has an important game against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday to prepare for. The Magpies are 90 minutes away from another cup final, but they could easily be stripped from their clutches if they do not perform at their highest standard.

The Toon boss may even consider rotating in the near future. The Magpies were unchanged for the defeat to Fulham but had a notable lack of attacking options on the bench.