Newcastle United somehow managed to upset Tottenham at the weekend, picking up a 2-1 win despite Ange Postecoglou’s side creating a raft of chances that they failed to convert.
It was a 78th minute Alexander Isak goal that took Newcastle to victory, as they grabbed their second win of the season and the Swedish striker opened his account for the campaign.
Isak, who scored 21 times last season, gave a quick interview to ViaPlay after the game and expressed his belief that the side isn’t quite playing at the level that they expect themselves to be at.
He said, as relayed by Svenska Dagbladet: “I think our performance is a bit short of the level we want to be at. I think we defend our goal very well. We almost refused to lose today. With the ball, we are quite far from our level. But it is a statement of strength to win this match when everything is not so pretty.”
The striker further expressed his belief that Newcastle have to be better on the ball, saying:
“The team and I also want to do a little better with the ball and performance in general. But we win and I score my first goal, so it’s clear that I leave with a good feeling.”
Spurs managed to win the ball back quickly from Newcastle multiple times in the final third and that contributed to them creating multiple good chances for themselves. Eddie Howe’s side relied on last ditch defending multiple times to deny Tottenham.
The fact that Isak highlighted the need to be better on the ball suggests that it is what Howe would also want, as the Magpies look to mount a potential European challenge this season.
