NEWCASTLE: Newcastle blew Nottingham Forest away with four goals in 11 minutes as Alexander Isak’s double inspired a vital 4-3 win in the race to finish in the Premier League’s top four.
Eddie Howe’s side recovered from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s early opener to run riot with a first half goal spree at St. James’ Park on Sunday.
Lewis Miley bagged Newcastle’s equalizer, sparking an astonishing spell of dominance as Jacob Murphy put the hosts ahead.
Isak netted twice in less than two minutes to reach 50 Premier League goals and leave Forest in tatters.
The Sweden striker has 19 league goals this season, taking him level with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in second place behind Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in this season’s scoring chart.
Nikola Milenkovic and Ryan Yates scored for Forest in the second half, but it was too late for an incredible escape act.
After three defeats in their previous four league games, fifth-placed Newcastle are back in the hunt to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top four finish.
The Magpies are behind fourth-placed Manchester City on goal difference, with third-placed Forest just three points above them.
“I’m trying to control my thoughts and stay positive. We won the game and that’s what we needed to do,” Howe said.
“It was a great performance in the first half, then a couple of frailties showed in terms of defending set plays.
“We can reflect on that. There are things we can do better. We pride ourselves on getting the details right.”
Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo added: “In the first half I didn’t recognize our team. In the second half we were much better.
“We made mistakes. It was two totally different halves. We started well and then they just rolled over us.”
Newcastle keeper Nick Pope made his first league start since early December in place of Martin Dubravka.
But Pope was partially at fault as Newcastle gifted Forest the lead in sloppy style after just six minutes
Jacob Murphy lost the ball in his own half as Hudson-Odoi pressured the Newcastle midfielder into conceding possession.
Hudson-Odoi wasn’t closed down quickly enough by Dan Burn and the winger unloaded a powerful low drive that caught Pope out of position as it flashed into the net.
Miley ensured Newcastle’s strong response to that early setback was rewarded in the 23rd minute.
With Forest’s usually rock-solid defense slow to react, Miley had time to control Lewis Hall’s pass inside the penalty area and drill his shot through a sea of legs past unsighted keeper Matz Sels.
Murphy made amends for his earlier mistake to put Howe’s team ahead two minutes after Miley’s equalizer.
Hall’s driving run was the catalyst as the defender took Isak’s return pass and hit a deflected cross that looped over Sels for Murphy to bundle home from virtually on the goal-line.
Newcastle were firing on all cylinders and they struck again in the 33rd minute.
Ola Aina used his arm to block Hall’s cross, conceding a penalty that Isak dispatched past Sels with an audacious lofted effort that left the keeper sprawled on his back as he tried in vain to claw it out.
Forest had no answer to Newcastle’s intensity and it was no surprise when they conceded a fourth just 60 seconds later.
Joe Willock raced unchecked through the Forest midfield and slipped his pass to Isak, whose shot from 12 yards took a deflection on its way past the wrong-footed Sels.
Newcastle eased up in the second half and Milenkovic reduced the deficit in the 63rd minute, flicking Chris Wood’s cross past Pope from close-range.
When Yates steered home in the 90th minute, a nervous hush descended on St. James’ Park, but Newcastle held on by their fingernails.
Nottm Forest felled by Isak as Newcastle bolster top four bid
https://arab.news/vsafj
Nottm Forest felled by Isak as Newcastle bolster top four bid
- Eddie Howe’s side recovered from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s early opener to run riot
Nacho Fernandez opens up on ‘pleasure’ of Al-Qadsiah journey through Saudi football
- Speaking at ‘Ithra Cultural Days: Spain,’ the former Real Madrid defender says he has enjoyed adapting to Saudi football since joining the Alkhobar club in the summer of 2024
DHAHRAN: Al-Qadsiah’s Spanish captain, Nacho Fernandez, has described his experience at the club as a “pleasure” as he spoke about his experience in Saudi football at “Ithra Cultural Days: Spain” at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture on Thursday night.
On stage with journalist Khaled Alarafah, Nacho opened up about his adaptation to the Saudi Pro League, his role at Al-Qadsiah, and the ways he hopes to contribute to the club’s growth and the development of the sport in the region.
“I feel lucky to be on a very easygoing team because I have wonderful teammates, both foreigners and Saudis,” the former Real Madrid defender said. “In the year and a half I’ve been here, we’ve managed to build a family, and it’s a pleasure to go to training with them every day.”
Born Jose Ignacio Fernandez Iglesias in Madrid, the 35-year-old defender has long been known by his nickname Nacho, a traditional Spanish diminutive of Ignacio.
He joined Real Madrid’s academy at age 10 and went on to spend 23 years at the club, making over 300 appearances for the senior team, winning 25 major trophies and earning 29 caps for the Spanish national team.
Nacho joined Al-Qadsiah, founded in Alkhobar in 1967, in the summer of 2024 shortly after Real Madrid claimed their 15th UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. It was a personal sixth medal in Europe’s premier club competition for the player, a joint record.
“What has surprised me the most about the people of Saudi Arabia is the warm welcome; they embraced me and my family with generosity and genuine care,” Nacho added. “Family is very important in Saudi Arabia, just as it is in Spain.”
He also said football supporters across the Kingdom were special.
“I think about the Saudi football fans — they’re just as passionate about football as in Spain,” Nacho said. “I love seeing people with so much passion and I think that’s exactly what sports needs: passion.
“I don’t understand the chanting at the stadiums with the drums, but I imagine they’re meant to cheer the team on,” he laughed as the crowd at Ithra cheered along.
Nacho also highlighted the potential for Saudi football to maintain the remarkable growth it has experienced in recent years.
“I think Spanish football has been established for many more years, it’s recognized worldwide,” he said. “But here, in Saudi, things are emerging but being done very well. In fact, many of us foreigners are coming here to play, and the competitive spirit is important for all of us.”
Al-Qadsiah currently sit fifth in the Saudi Pro League table, and recently appointed former Liverpool and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers as their new head coach. Nacho said that football in Saudi has a different tempo to what he experienced in his home country.
“I would say I notice a big difference, maybe as a defender, I’d say, in Spain the game is a bit more intense, like the whole team is focused on attacking and defending as one block. Here, I notice there’s more space on the field.”
On why he chose to join Al-Qadsiah, he left a glowing review.
“Why this team? Well, because they gave me peace of mind, care and above all, the assurance that my family would be well. So when I started on this new journey, when we made the first contact, I think everything was resolved within just a week.”
For the next step in his career, he is keen on continuing to mentor aspiring players, many of whom seemed to be in the audience at King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, also known as Ithara.
“I’ve been a good leader. Everything I’ve learned in my career I’ve put back to help the younger players and use that experience to win matches,” Nacho added.
“Are we on the right track? I think so. Last year we had a very good season, and this year we are still fighting. The project is where it needs to be, and between the club, the players, and everyone involved, we’ll do everything possible to get back to the top. And we are,” he concluded to roaring applause.
