Eddie Howe hailed Sandro Tonali’s shooting power after seeing him cap a fine display with a stunning winner to edge Newcastle into the race for Champions League qualification.
The 24-year-old Italy international brought an incident-packed encounter to a fitting conclusion with a 74th-minute piledriver which beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle to hand the Magpies a precious 2-1 home win over Brentford.
Bees boss Thomas Frank later described Tonali’s winner as a “one in a million cross”, but when asked about the goal afterwards, Howe said: “Let me say one thing about Sandro: he can hit a ball like no-one. When he strikes it, I fear for our goalkeepers’ wrists sometimes because he can hit it that hard, so I wouldn’t put it past him meaning that.
A MASSIVE THREE POINTS AT ST. JAMES'' PARK! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/lYlq1ZnMmX
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) April 2, 2025
“It was a big moment in the game because we needed it. At that moment, the game was very much in the balance, so it’s a big moment in our season.”
Tonali himself, however, admitted there was an element of fortune to his decisive strike.
He said: “It was definitely a good shot – but it was 70 per cent cross, I am going to be honest with you. It was perfect, the speed. I was a little bit lucky because the keeper was not in the goal.”
A victory which lifted the Carabao Cup winners into fifth place – Chelsea could replace them on Thursday evening – left them very much in the hunt for the Champions League places.
A stunning strike from Sandro 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/KUcktdaUGI
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) April 2, 2025
They had edged ahead in a firecracker of a game when seconds after Harvey Barnes had headed home at the end of a brilliant Alexander Isak run, but from an offside position, the Sweden international turned in Jacob Murphy’s cross past Flekken to open the scoring.
Bryan Mbeumo’s cool second-half penalty restored parity and Ethan Pinnock headed against a post as the visitors pressed, only to be caught out by Tonali’s outrageous strike.
Howe, who revealed he was unsure how his side would respond in the first game back since their big day at Wembley, said: “I was really hoping the players would be professional, but Wembley behind them and move forward and work, and we did – and we had to work.
“I think it was a massive win in our season. Credit to everybody because that wasn’t an easy game.”
For Frank, it was a case of what might have been as his side fell on the wrong side of a series of pivotal moments, including a late claim for a second penalty for Bruno Guimaraes’ challenge on substitute Mikkel Damsgaard which went unanswered.
He said: “If you want to win a game like this – just like any game, but to win a tight game against a good team – you need some of the margins to go your way.
“The first goal, Bryan [Mbeumo] slips. If he doesn’t slip, he kicks the ball away in front of Isak; Ethan, inside of the post; Tonali, one in a million cross going in the goal, and for me, the Damsgaard penalty.
“Unfortunately, we got on the wrong end of that, but the performance, I’m very pleased with it.”
Arne Slot said Premier League top scorer Mohamed Salah proved he is “human” after missing an open goal at a crucial stage of Liverpool’s thrilling 3-2 loss at Brighton.With the champions leading 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, Reds forward Salah had a golden chance to mark his 300th Premier League appearance with a 29th top-flight goal of the campaign.But he somehow fired wide from the ...
Jack Hinshelwood struck a late winner as Brighton boosted their slender hopes of scraping Conference League qualification with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Premier League champions Liverpool.Arne Slot’s Reds were on course for success at the Amex Stadium following an eye-catching finish from Dominik Szoboszlai after Seagulls midfielder Yasin Ayari cancelled out Harvey Elliott’s early o...
Mikel Arteta said he is ready to give his life to deliver a trophy for Arsenal after he apologised to the club’s fans for ending the season empty handed.Declan Rice’s second-half strike fired Arsenal to a 1-0 win over Newcastle and confirmed their place in the Champions League.However, the Gunners failed to launch a serious title challenge to Liverpool this season, and they are set to ...
Jamie Vardy reflected on an “amazing” and “rollercoaster” career with Leicester after scoring a landmark 200th goal in his 500th and final appearance for the Foxes.The 38-year-old former England striker reached the goal milestone in the 28th minute of Leicester’s home match with Ipswich when he latched on to James Justin’s through ball and expertly slipped it be...
Mikel Arteta apologised to Arsenal supporters for failing to deliver on his dream of ending the club’s two-decade wait for a Premier League title.Declan Rice’s second-half strike fired Arsenal to a 1-0 win over Newcastle and confirmed their place in the Champions League next season.However, the Gunners failed to launch a serious challenge to Liverpool this season and are set to finish ...
Interim boss Liam Fox welled up with tears as he reflected on his “pride” at leading Hearts to four straight wins before departing his boyhood club as they prepare to confirm Derek McInnes as their new manager on Monday.With McInnes set to bring his own backroom staff with him from Kilmarnock, it was announced on Saturday that Fox – a childhood Jambo who started both his playing ...
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor heaped praise on her side’s new celebrity investors after multi-millionaire entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian and his wife, tennis great Serena Williams, flew over for their FA Cup final triumph at Wembley.Sandy Baltimore scored a brace either side of a Catarina Macario goal as Chelsea sealed an unbeaten domestic treble with a 3-0 victory over Manchester United in fron...
Declan Rice’s second-half strike fired Arsenal to a 1-0 win against Newcastle at the Emirates and a place in next season’s Champions League.Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya kept his side in the match with a string of fine saves prior to the interval before Rice delivered from range with 55 minutes gone.Arsenal’s victory moves them five points clear of third-placed Newcastle with jus...
Marco Silva says Harry Wilson will “want to play Brentford every week” after he stung the Bees for a second time this season with the winner in Fulham’s 3-2 west London derby victory at the Gtech Community Stadium.Wilson, who had his contract extended until next summer this week and also scored a stoppage-time double in Fulham’s 2-1 win over Brentford in November, replicate...
Tony Docherty thanked Lyall Cameron for an outstanding career at Dundee after the midfielder signed off in style with a double in victory over St Johnstone.Cameron, who penned a pre-contract with Rangers in February, inspired a 2-0 win that eased the Dark Blues away from the relegation play-off place.The 22-year-old netted after 28 minutes and rounded off a man-of-the-match display with a stoppage...
- 1 Richie Wellens hails Leyton Orient’s ‘outstanding’ victory over Stockport
- 2 We will see – no Unai Emery assurances over future of tearful Emiliano Martinez
- 3 Arsenal offer £135k deal to seduce target
- 4 Mikel Arteta ready to give his life to deliver silverware for Arsenal
- 5 Leyton Orient book Wembley date by beating Stockport on penalties
- 6 Chelsea beat Manchester United in FA Cup final to seal domestic treble
- 7 Mikel Arteta apologises for failing to deliver Arsenal a Premier League title
- 8 Liverpool cleared to complete signing
- 9 Brendan Rodgers hits out at ‘needless challenge’ on Reo Hatate
- 10 Marc Guehi to land transfer to Real or Barca