LONDON (ITALPRESS) – Shy signs of recovery from Newcastle in Birmingham. Eddie Howe’s Magpies advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup by defeating Aston Villa, securing their second consecutive away victory.

At Villa Park, the standout performer was an outstanding Sandro Tonali, who scored for the first time this season, netting a brace and bringing an end to a goal drought that had lasted for months. During the January transfer window, in which the Italian midfielder had been linked with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, rumors had grown increasingly persistent about a less-than-ideal relationship with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.

After Saturday’s win, Tonali—whose first part of the season had fallen well short of expectations (as he himself admitted)—spoke publicly again to address those rumors suggesting he was set to leave St James’ Park and speculating about his relationship with the English coach.

“The celebration for the first goal was one of relief, the kind of reaction from a player who hasn’t managed to score for seven months; after the second goal, however, I went straight over to Eddie (Howe), because in recent weeks there has been a lot of talk about our relationship, even though everything between us is absolutely perfect,” said the former AC Milan player.

Happy and confident, he praised the team, emphasizing how their focus in training remains consistently high day after day, especially because of a very packed schedule that sees them play every three days.

Following their second consecutive away win (the first being the 1–2 victory against Tottenham), his hopes are to see a more self-assured Newcastle, eager to climb back up the league table and to “return to Wembley” in the FA Cup.

This is good news both for the Magpies, who are now entering the most crucial phase of the season, and for our national team, which, just over a month before the decisive playoffs to qualify for this summer’s World Cup, sees one of its most important stars shining brightly once again.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews