Sandro Tonali was brilliant once again as Newcastle defeated Southampton on Saturday.
Eddie Howe has now won 10 of his last 11 games in all competitions, and Newcastle’s loss to Bournemouth had no effect on them when they visited the relegation-threatened Saints on the South Coast.
Tonali scored in the Premier League for the first time since making his debut against Aston Villa in August 2023.
He got in on goal in the second half due to a wonderful flick-on from Anthony Gordon. From there, the Italian made no mistakes, finding the back of the net with a straightforward side-foot finish.
He joined top scorer Alexander Isak in the goals. The Swede scored twice, taking his Premier League tally to 17 for the season.
Newcastle’s win over Southampton was their 12th in the league this season, and it provides them the confidence they need to obtain a similar result against Fulham in their next game.
Tonali took to social media to share his three-word views following the goal and win.
Tonali reacts to Newcastle’s victory on social media.
Tonali has been excellent for Newcastle since returning from a 10-month suspension in August. Howe deserves a lot of credit for shifting Tonali into a deeper midfield role.
The 24-year-old turned to Instagram to discuss the game. He simply replied, “WE AMBITIOUS NOW,” indicating that he and the other Newcastle players understand what they can do this season.
Newcastle are hoping to finish in a European berth this season, ideally in the Champions League, which would earn them a large chunk of money. The Magpies are also just 90 minutes away from another Carabao Cup final, and a win over Arsenal in the second leg would bring them closer to their first major prize since 1969.
Gordon replied to Tonali’s post with a pinched finger and flaming emoji. Gordon earned his fifth league assist of the season as a result of Tonali’s goal.
Tonali has been known to link up well with Bruno Guimaraes this season, but his goal on Saturday demonstrated he has great chemistry with other members of Newcastle’s first-team squad.
Tonali’s performance against Southampton via numbers.
Although other Newcastle players performed admirably, Tonali was one of the standouts versus Southampton.
Tonali completed 84% of his passes (37/44), five passes into the final third, won four tackles, had ten defensive actions, five recoveries, won ten of his seventeen duels, and made one block.
Fans describe him as a’midfield master’. His efforts were felt all around the field on Saturday. Tonali signed for £55 million in 2023, and even with his time out, he appears to be worth every penny.
