Tonali strike 'a big moment' for Newcastle

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said Sandro Tonali's eye-catching winner in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Brentford was a "big moment" in their push to qualify for the Champions League.

Tonali fired Newcastle into fifth place in the Premier League, as the Italian midfielder's 74th-minute rocket beat Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank claimed it was a lucky goal, describing Tonali's winner as a "one in a million cross".

Even Tonali admitted there was an element of fortune to his strike.

"It was definitely a good shot, but it was 70 percent a cross, I am going to be honest with you. It was perfect, the speed. I was a little bit lucky, because the keeper was not in the goal," he said.

But, Howe was convinced Tonali deserved credit for his headline-grabbing blast, especially since it gave fresh impetus to Newcastle's bid to return to Europe's elite club competition.

"Let me say one thing about Sandro: He can hit a ball like no-one else. When he strikes it (in training), I fear for our goalkeepers' wrists sometimes, because he can hit it that hard, so I wouldn't put it past him meaning that," Howe said.

"It was a big moment in the game, because we needed it. At that moment, the game was very much in the balance, so it's a big moment in our season."

The League Cup winner, playing for the first time since beating Liverpool to clinch its first major trophy for 56 years, is one point ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea.

The Magpies are one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City with a game in hand.

The top four qualify automatically for the Champions League, with fifth place also likely to secure entry, depending on the results of the remaining English clubs in European action this season.

AFP