After Newcastle United’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, Gabby Agbonlahor has named one Toon player in his team of the week.
The Magpies were fortunate to beat Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park on Sunday, with goals from Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak handing the home side victory.
Newcastle were not at their best as they beat Spurs, which is not a bad thing. At this stage of the season, it is all about results. The Magpies will get better, as Eddie Howe’s team begins to get sharper.
Howe set his team up to counterattack against Tottenham, and it worked brilliantly. Both of the Magpies’ goals came against the run of play, while Newcastle’s best players were in defence rather than attack.
Dan Burn and Emil Krafth had excellent games, while Ange Postecoglou praised Nick Pope for his efforts in the Newcastle goal.
Lloyd Kelly impresses for Newcastle against Tottenham
However, the Newcastle United player that Gabby Agbonlahor has included in his TalkSPORT team of the week is Lloyd Kelly.
He was at left-back for the Magpies, and got the assist for Harvey Barnes’ opener in the first half.
“I feel Lloyd Kelly, yes, he plays left-back at the moment, but he’s going in at centre-half because I know he can do the same job as he does at left-back at centre-half,” he said.
“Yesterday he got a great assist down that left-hand side, showing great energy.
“Also, I think he is a top defender. Bournemouth would have been frustrated losing him. There’s a reason why Eddie Howe brought him to the club. He’s quick, good in the air, and he has got a very good left foot as well, so I think he had a very good game and he could definitely force himself to start in Newcastle’s back four every weekend.”
Lloyd Kelly is a valuable addition to the Newcastle United squad
Jacob Murphy praised Kelly for his performance against Tottenham, and now he has been included in Agbonlahor’s team of the week. That is certainly one to tell the grandkids…
All jokes aside, it was a great outing for Kelly. His assist for Barnes was outstanding, while he defended diligently until he was replaced by Lewis Hall.
After three competitive appearances, Kelly has already proven that he is going to be a valuable player in the Newcastle United squad. As Agbonlahor says, he can play just as well at centre-back, and that kind of versatility is what made him so appealing to Eddie Howe.
While Kelly was not a glamourous signing, getting him on a free transfer was certainly an astute bit of business.
With Dan Burn operating at centre-back for now, Eddie Howe needs someone he can rely on defensively at left-back. While Lewis Hall has improved, there are still areas of his game where he can get better.
In tough games where Newcastle will be asked to defend, Kelly has shown what a great option he is going to be.
He will rarely hog the headlines, but Kelly has really set himself up for a solid Newcastle United career.
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