Newcastle star now looks undroppable after 10/10 Burnley display
Newcastle star now looks undroppable after 10/10 Burnley display
Newcastle United made it back-to-back wins in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, beating relegation-threatened Burnley 4-1 at Turf Moor.
Goals from Alexander Isak, Callum Wilson, Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff secured the win for Eddie Howe’s side, keeping the Magpies’ slim hopes for European football next season alive.
The Magpies have now only lost one of their last seven league outings, with Howe working wonders despite the club’s ongoing injury crisis.
The win against Vincent Kompany’s side has seen the Magpies move to within four points of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, with the club in a great position to claim a second successive season of European football.
One Newcastle player produced an excellent display in the victory and is deserving of a regular starting role in Howe’s side for the foreseeable future.
Jacob Murphy’s stats against Burnley
After switching to a 4-4-2 at Turf Moor, boss Howe decided to utilise Jacob Murphy in a more natural right-midfield role, a decision that proved to be an excellent one for the Magpies.
The winger featured for 69 minutes during the meeting but managed to provide two assists for Longstaff and Isak’s strikes in the victory.
Murphy also managed to complete 21 passes at a completion rate of 75%, with six of the completed attempts registered as key passes – the most of any Newcastle player.
His impressive display also included a solid defensive performance, winning two tackles and making one interception as he doubled up with Tino Livramento down the Magpies’ right-hand side.
However, his display wasn’t all positive, giving possession away 16 times in 69 minutes, an average of once every four minutes, although that seemingly indicated his desire to make things happen for his side.
For his efforts, the 29-year-old received a 10/10 match rating from Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder, with the writer claiming Murphy was ‘always a threat’ throughout the encounter.
Jacob Murphy looks undroppable after Burnley display
In recent weeks, the club’s current injury problems have seen Murphy be deployed in multiple different positions, including right-back, as demonstrated against Tottenham.
Whilst he did an admirable job of filling in an unnatural position, it was clear that position didn’t get the best out of the 29-year-old, with his ability to pick a pass into the final third redundant at the back.
However, the decision to switch to a four-man midfield benefitted the former Norwich City man this afternoon, with the forward allowed to create more frequent opportunities and less reliant on having to focus on the defensive side of his game.
With just three games remaining in the 2023/24 season, Murphy has another handful of opportunities to showcase his talents to Magpies boss Howe and prove he still has the ability to be a key part of his squad.
However, his performance today has certainly made him undroppable ahead of the games against Brighton, Manchester United and Brentford, with Murphy deserving of another opportunity next weekend to build on his impressive 10/10 display.
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