Howe reveals Osula practiced late to refine winning goal technique for Newcastle.
Eddie Howe disclosed that Newcastle United’s substitute William Osula participated in additional training prior to the match against Manchester United, honing the finishing technique that led to a thrilling victory for the 10-man team at St James’ Park.
Michael Carrick experienced the end of his unbeaten tenure as manager of the Red Devils on Wednesday, as Jacob Ramsey received a second yellow card for what appeared to be a dive during a tense conclusion to the first half.
Anthony Gordon put Newcastle in front from the penalty spot, but Casemiro equalized in stoppage time, with both teams enjoying periods of dominance before Osula’s remarkable solo goal clinched a 2-1 win.
The 22-year-old substitute displayed speed, assurance, and skill while netting an impressive goal that Howe noted the forward had been preparing for the day before the match.
“There was a moment where I thought he was going to run out of grass and it’s going to go out of play,” the Newcastle manager remarked. “I think he does really well to keep it in.”
“I’m not trying to be wise after the event; in that moment, you trust Will’s ability. That’s one of his greatest strengths, running with the ball, his pace.”
“Will requested 10 more balls after training yesterday. He wanted to take 10 more shots, replicating the goal he scored today. He converted eight out of ten.”
“All credit goes to the player because he was eager to put in extra work before heading in. I firmly believe in ‘do the work, you get the reward.’ I’m thrilled for him personally.”
This was a significant moment for Osula individually and a much-needed boost for the team after suffering three consecutive Premier League home defeats that had cast a shadow over St James’ Park.
“A massive win for us,” Howe stated. “I think we required it. We recognized we needed it. It’s been a challenging stretch for us in the Premier League.”
“I believe some of our recent performances haven’t been too poor, but we’ve managed to lose games when perhaps we shouldn’t have.”
“Today we started the match very well, and then we received a red card.”
“It would have been easy for the players to adopt a mindset of feeling sorry for ourselves, thinking here we go again.”
“That’s the highest compliment I can pay the players. They truly stepped up in the second half, and they all contributed more, believing we could win the game.”
“A fantastic conclusion to the match. It’s one of the best feelings I’ve experienced, and I’m sure many others would agree, but we also haven’t done that enough.”
“Hopefully, that goal will be replayed frequently because I believe Will has earned it.”
