ST JAMES’ PARK — It was the only wrong step Sandro Tonali made all evening.
After scoring one of the most audacious goals St James’ Park has seen for many a year – one that bore comparison with vintage Peter Beardsley or peak Chris Waddle – he had to go and spoil it by admitting he hadn’t really meant it after all.
“It was a good shot but it was 70 per cent a cross if I’m honest with you,” he told the small huddle of reporters assembled in the bowels of the stadium afterwards.
That figure was later revised to 100 per cent when he spoke to the man from Sky Sports, suggesting that Tonali’s ability on the pitch is matched by his modesty.
Sandro Tonali. WOW 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Wf1BcUYnOO
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) April 2, 2025
Newcastle fans did not want to hear it, of course. The club is riding on the crest of a wave after the Carabao Cup win and goodwill towards this group of players is such that they – like this correspondent – dearly wanted to believe the talismanic Tonali had meant such an outrageous act of impudence.
“April Fool’s Day was yesterday mate,” was one of the more printable replies when I relayed Tonali’s quote on social media. “Delete this,” said another, succinctly.
Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali arrives ahead of the Premier League match at St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne. Picture date: Wednesday April 2, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Newcastle. Photo credit should read: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
Tonali has swagger but does not play with an ego (Photo: PA)
The funny thing is it wasn’t actually the most revealing thing Tonali said in his post-match interview. After being asked for the third time about the goal the Italy midfielder seemed eager to move on: “We need to think about the team, not about me, not about the goal. I think only about the team.”
And there, in a short sentence spoken in his second language, Tonali has summed up why Newcastle feel like a good bet to sneak into Champions League contention again. This is a team with stars in it, but it is not a team of stars.
Tonali is typical of that, a player that his teammates can’t speak highly enough of. He is very, very good but also unselfish, covering as much defensive ground as any water carrier in the Premier League. He may carry himself like a superstar – swaggering into St James’ Park in shades before the game – but he does not play as if he has a super-sized ego.
How Newcastle really won this game
Tonali is not the only one in this Newcastle squad who that applies to. Eddie Howe has been meticulous in enforcing a black and white version of the All Blacks’ famous “no d**kheads” policy, believing that team chemistry is a crucial factor in success.
When he suspected that one or two players’ heads might have been turned by a summer of speculation, there was a firm reminder to respect the institution of Newcastle United. The days of it being seen as feeder club or springboard for bigger and better things, he communicated, are over.
You could see that honesty in the win over Brentford. Mid-table they may be, but Thomas Frank’s side are one of the division’s more difficult puzzles to solve. Tactically on point, they are a well-drilled, well put together side who should probably be a shade higher than their mid-table position. And in Bryan Mbeumo and the excellent Yoane Wissa, they had two of Wednesday’s most potent attacking forces.
Newcastle needed to work damned hard to win it and they did. While Alexander Isak scored his 20th goal of the season – a nice opportunistic touch from a Jacob Murphy cross – the story was more about Tonali’s leg work, Tino Liveramento’s contribution and the experience of Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier. Tonali’s goal deservedly stole the headlines bit it was that defensive performance gave Newcastle the platform to win the game.
Howe hailed it as a “huge moment” in the season and he was right. The Carabao Cup celebrations have been euphoric and the worry was they might dull Newcastle’s competitive edge, but a hard-working win that lifts them back into the Champions League places suggests those fears are ill-founded.