Newcastle United beat Swansea City 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle’s Jamaal Lascelles celebrates
Pundit Garth Crooks has told BBC Sport that Jamaal Lascelles’ contribution to Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Swansea City on Sunday afternoon was ‘a bit special’.
After beating West Ham United 3-0 before the international break, Newcastle went into Sunday’s trip to Swansea with confidence – but the Swans also won before the break, beating Crystal Palace 2-0.
The game hinged on two key moments; the first saw Swansea striker Tammy Abraham go through on goal, round goalkeeper Rob Elliot and shoot towards and empty goal – only for Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles to fight back and clear the back off the line.
Defender Lascelles then went down the other end to score the winner, heading home Matt Ritchie’s corner to hand the Magpies a crucial victory and a clean sheet.
Jamaal Lascelles scores Newcastle’s winning goal against Swansea City
Lascelles was the star of the show at both ends in a superb win for Newcastle, and he earned huge praise from pundit Garth Crooks after the final whistle at the Liberty Stadium.
Crooks told BBC Sport that he felt Lascelles set the tone for Newcastle’s performance long before his goal, as his goal-line clearance spurred the Magpies on to victory in South Wales.
Crooks praised Lascelles’ contribution as ‘a bit special’, but slammed Newcastle owner Mike Ashley for his lack of investment in Rafael Benitez’s side.
The former Spurs striker suggests that Ashley must invest money in the squad to make sure Newcastle stay in the Premier League and keep Benitez as their manager – or simply sell the club to somebody else who will pump money in.
Newcastle goalscorer Jamaal Lascelles (R)
“It was Jamaal Lascelles’ block on the line that set up both the 1-0 victory for Newcastle at Swansea on Sunday and the tone for the entire team’s performance,” said Crooks. “If ever you wanted to give your manager a lift on his sick bed then a classic away win is certainly the way to do it.”
“Lascelles’ contribution to the victory was a bit special. But does owner Mike Ashley really expect a young side, giving everything at the moment, to survive the season in the Premier League with the resources he has given them? If he does then he is living in cloud cuckoo land. Ashley needs to get his hand in his pocket and invest properly in a team the city of Newcastle deserve. They have a great manager, an amazing set of fans and a team clearly proud to wear the shirt.”
“Benitez has brought some wonderful young talent through and made players out of them. Players like Matt Ritchie and Lascelles have developed brilliantly under the watchful eye of the Spaniard and they deserve more support and their manager the finances to enable him to give the team a real chance of survival. It’s the least Ashley can do. If not, he should sell the club and let someone else do it,” he added.
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