Newcastle United looked back to their old selves against Liverpool on Wednesday night.
While a first three points since the return from the international break again proved elusive, it would be hard to imagine many Newcastle supporters leaving St James’ Park disappointed.
Indeed, not only did Eddie Howe’s side hold the Premier League leaders to a 3-3 draw, they were worth the point they earned and really could have taken more.
A good result and an even better performance.
Howe had previously warned about things going stale after a lack of investment in recent transfer windows but his team did look to have gone through the gears against the Reds.
Alexander Isak was absolutely brilliant throughout, while fresh optimism would have emerged when it came to the midfield.
There has long been a debate as to whether Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali can operate successfully together but they certainly looked a cohesive unit against Liverpool.
Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United at full time during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Tottenham Hotspu...
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Tonali in particular was hailed for his performance, while Guimaraes recorded two assists on the evening.
Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, pundit Pat Nevin addressed the relationship between the star midfielders…
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Pat Nevin now shares what he noticed about Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes
The pundit admitted that while the two sometimes look as if they want to do the same thing, he suggested they could grow into quite the partnership.
“Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes are two great players, but if they can become a duo, it will be exceptional for Newcastle,” he said.
“They need to build an understanding, but they look like two individuals who want to play almost always in the same position, and that can be a little difficult.”
Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes have a new challenge at Newcastle
Clearly, we’ll need a bigger sample size before confidently declaring the Tonali-Guimaraes partnership works.
Still, that was a brilliant display against Liverpool and surely few would doubt their individual quality.
If it clicks into gear for the rest of the season, the early struggles the duo endured will likely be forgotten.
The challenge now is to do that away at Brentford on Saturday. It’s time to go again.
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