‘Awesome tonight you were’: Alan Shearer tips his hat off to Newcastle United’s unsung hero vs Arsenal

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Eddie Howe made some bold choices when selecting his Newcastle United side to face Arsenal on Wednesday evening.

One of those choices was to play a five-at-the-back formation, with Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Sven Botman starring in the heart of defence.

• Five things learned as Newcastle United beat Arsenal 2-0 in Carabao Cup

Anthony Gordon hailed Newcastle’s defence in his post-match comments, suggesting they were pivotal to Howe’s game plan.

The same can be said for the two wing-backs. Lewis Hall impressed on the left, while Kieran Trippier returned to the starting lineup and was utterly brilliant.

There were several world-class performances against the Gunners but Trippier was Newcastle’s unsung hero on the night with a particularly combative and passionate performance.

Alan Shearer replies to Kieran Trippier after Arsenal win

Newcastle fans generated an incredible atmosphere at St James’ Park and Trippier certainly rose to the occasion. The 34-year-old made several crunching tackles and wound up Arsenal players at every given opportunity.

After the full-time whistle, Trippier took to Instagram to send a message to fans.

“Nights like these! Unbelievable performance and support tonight. Newcastle are going to Wembley,” Trippier posted.

Newcastle teammates Bruno Guimaraes and Jacob Murphy replied under his post, as did Toon legend Alan Shearer.

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Shearer replied with four words – “Awesome tonight you were”.

Newcastle’s record goalscorer had a busy night on social media with Shearer winding up Ian Wright during the win over Arsenal.

Kieran Trippier’s future at Newcastle United

After a January window full of departures, there is still a chance that Trippier could follow them out of the door.

Trippier is a target for Galatasaray and the Turkish window is still open, meaning an exit is on the cards if a suitable offer arrives.

READ MORE: Kieran Trippier twist at Newcastle United with movement possible in the next 24 hours

However, with Newcastle’s defence already stretched thin following Lloyd Kelly’s loan move to Juventus, it would be a surprise if the Magpies let him leave this month.

Especially as Howe wants to keep Trippier at Newcastle. His performance against the Gunners proves he can still contribute to a strong end to the season – including a potential start in next month’s Carabao Cup final.