Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar
Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar scored twice in a 3-0 win over Cardiff City.
Schar’s performance drew praise from Garth Crooks, who named him in his BBC Team of the Week.
Crooks compared Schar to former Newcastle cult hero Philippe Albert.
He told BBC Sport: “I have to go back to the days of Philippe Albert for a performance like this from a Newcastle defender. I’m not saying he’s in that class but Fabian Schar did have a magnificent game.
“The Swiss international scored one of the best individual goals I’ve seen from a central defender in years, along with a match-winning intervention if ever I saw one.”
This was also the first time a Newcastle defender had scored twice in a Premier League game since Albert in 1996, BBC Sport reported.
Former Basel defender Schar signed for Newcastle last summer from Deportivo La Coruna for just £3 million.
The game against Cardiff was just his ninth start in the Premier League, and these were his first goals for the club.
The win lifted Newcastle out of the relegation zone, leapfrogging Cardiff who are now in 18th.
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