It’d be fair to say Jack Grealish is not the most popular figure amongst Newcastle United supporters.
After bizarrely slating Miguel Almiron after winning his first Premier League title, the England international has been the target of boos amongst the Newcastle support.
So, the notion of Grealish – back after a recent injury – playing at St James’ Park in the Carabao Cup was a mouth-watering one.
What better way to respond to his criticism of Almiron by knocking him out of the competition, after all?
Well, that’s exactly what they did on Wednesday night.
Tino Livramento puts on defensive masterclass against Jack Grealish
Indeed, Grealish was not up against England teammate Kieran Trippier.
Instead, it was Tino Livramento who was tasked with stopping the £100m winger and it’d be fair to say the 20-year-old managed that.
As you can imagine, Eddie Howe certainly thought so.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Howe said: “He was [phenomenal]. A very difficult opponent in Jack Grealish, who is an outstanding player. I thought defensively he was very, very good.”
Livramento marked Grealish out of the game
Despite only making his first start for the club, the 20-year-old gave Grealish absolutely no joy.
As per WhoScored data, the England star mustered only one shot on target and was harried into making four unsuccessful touches over the course of the game.
Throw in Livramento’s last-ditch tackle to stop Matheus Nunes from scoring too and it’s clear to see why Howe was so happy.
The signing of Livramento was not believed to have been a priority this summer. Soon, it may be hard to imagine life without him.
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