Newcastle United match-winner Jonjo Shelvey has thanked Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier for ‘chucking’ his free-kick effort into the back of the net.
In a nervy bottom half of the table clash, the game was potentially always going to be decided by fine margins.
After Diego Llorente hauled down Javier Manquillo, Eddie Howe’s side had a great chance to test the French stopper with 15 minutes remaining in the Elland Road clash.
Shelvey’s tame effort slipped through Meslier’s grasp much to Newcastle’s delight and Leeds’ dismay.
The Magpies managed to hold on and earn our second win of the Premier League season and Shelvey gave an insight on how his free-kick effort panned out.
Speaking to NUFCTV, Shelvey said: “It’s a massive three points, it didn’t matter who scored, we just needed to come out and fight, fight and fight, and I thought everyone to a man did that.”
Despite Newcastle now being able to call upon dead ball specialist Kieran Trippier for set pieces, Shelvey said he pulled rank for his winner at Elland Road.
Shelvey added: “He (Trippier) looked at me and said,’Do you fancy it?’ I said ‘Yeah’. Obviously I will always back myself in terms of ability.
“To be fair I scuffed it, but the keeper (Illan Meslier) has chucked one in for us. But when you’re down by the bottom of the table you take the three points however way it comes.
“But this cannot just be for one game, we’ve got to consistently do it and we’ve got to kick on from here.”
Speaking on Match of the Day, Alan Shearer labelled Shelvey’s display against Marcelo Bielsa’s side as his “best performance of the season”, but urged him to maintain that level.
Fellow pundit Danny Murphy agreed with the Newcastle legend and he felt Jonjo Shelvey was “absolutely terrific” against the Whites.
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