Lewis Hall put in an ‘outstanding’ display for Newcastle United against Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Lamine Yamal may have got the last laugh, but Lewis Hall was the man who came out on top in the battle between the two in Newcastle United’s 1-1 draw with Barcelona.
Neither Yamal and Hall featured in the previous meeting between the sides back in September, so it was shaping up to be an interesting match-up between arguably the best young player in the world and one of the best young left-backs around.
Yamal converted a stoppage-time penalty to rescue a draw for Barcelona after Harvey Barnes put Newcastle in front in the closing stages. But it was the 18-year-old’s only sniff at goal during the game as he was otherwise pocketed by the faultless Hall at St James’ Park.
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Lewis Hall v Lamine Yamal
Speaking ahead of the game, Hall praised Yamal for his impact on world football at such a young age.
“I think it goes without saying, he's obviously a special talent,” admitted the Newcastle left-back. “I've seen him play in enough Champions League games, I know what he's about.
“For me, I want to test myself against the best players in the world, so there's no better opportunity to do so than the game.”
And Hall passed that test with flying colours as he kept Yamal quiet from open play while also posing an attacking threat going forward with his confidence and calmness on the ball to relieve the pressure on his side.
Hall’s quality and consistency since becoming a regular in Newcastle’s starting line-up has made him one of the club’s most important players. And at just 21, he is already the best English left-back and arguably one of the best in his position in the Premier League.
Now he’s delivering on the European stage too.
‘Outstanding’ Lewis Hall shines v Barcelona
If Hall keeps his current rate of development up, he could soon become one of the best left-backs in world football. As such, he must be protected at all costs.
Commenting on Hall’s performance against Barcelona, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe said: “I think defensively first, very, very good.
“He was helped by his team. Players around him gave really strong performances as well. But I think he should take a lot of confidence from that out of possession and then in possession.
“He showed his qualities as well. He pushed them back. He attacked really well and showed his qualities the other way. So I thought it was an outstanding performance from him, as it was a number of the lads.”
Perhaps the most frustrating moment involving Hall during the match was when a frustrated Yamal cynically took out the Newcastle star yet somehow avoided a booking. Had the Spanish winger been booked, he would have missed the second leg due to suspension but will instead be available for next Wednesday’s match at Camp Nou.
Newcastle looked set to be taking a narrow lead to Barcelona only for Yamal’s penalty with the last kick of the game to rescue a draw. So it’s all even going into the match where the winners will face either Atletico Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals.
Atletico head into their second leg against Spurs with a 5-2 advantage and on course to progress.
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