Newcastle star labelled ‘best in Europe’ after performance in win over Arsenal | Football
Alexander Isak was declared ‘the best in Europe’ by teammate Anthony Gordon after his performance in Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Arsenal.
Isak continued his fine run of goalscoring form when he fired past David Raya to give Eddie Howe’s side the lead in the first half.
And Gordon added the Magpies’ second after the break to secure a huge result for Newcastle, putting them firmly in control of the two-legged Carabao Cup tie.
While Mikel Arteta’s side squandered a host of good opportunities in front of their home crowd, it was Isak who showed them what they were missing with his tenth goal in his last nine games in all competitions.
The 25-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates in the January transfer window, with his teammate Gordon raving about the forward’s ability at full-time.
‘Very good. He is the best in Europe, probably right now, with the form he’s in,’ Gordon told BBC Radio 5 Live after the game.
‘The best quality he’s got is that he’s so humble. He is not scared to pass the ball. He’s very unselfish, and his best ability is his raw ability on the ball.’
Asked about the result more generally, Gordon added: ‘Every one to a man was top-level.
‘Coming to the place is so hard and they defend really well. It was always going to be a smash-and-grab kind of game for us, but we executed it perfectly.
‘We are a team and that’s when we play at our best, when everyone’s on the same page. We have to be that ruthless with and without the ball – all the top teams do it.’
After the game, Arteta was left bemoaning his own side’s finishing and admitted that Isak’s ‘quality’ had been the difference between the two sides on the night.
‘He was involved in both goals, unfortunately the two times he had the ball in the box and that’s what happens when you have real quality up front and they can make the difference, and they’re very clinical,’ the Arsenal boss said when asked about the Swede’s performance.
But the Spaniard was not ready to give up on his side’s hopes of overturning their two-goal deficit in next month’s second leg.
‘That it’s just half-time,’ Arteta added. ‘When I see the team play, and how we deal with a lot of situations and play against a very good team I must say I have full belief that we can go out there and do it.’