89 touches, 5 key passes: 26-year-old Newcastle ace is the kind of warrior Howe needs

Newcastle United made it seven Premier League games unbeaten as they ran out 2-0 winners at Brentford on Saturday.

Goals from Joelinton and Joe Willock ensured that the Magpies pulled further away from the bottom three.

Newcastle had a man advantage for most of the game following Josh Dasilva’s sending off in the 11th minute.

On 33 minutes, Ryan Fraser beat Kristoffer Ajer and sent in a cross from the left that Joelinton powered home.

And just before the break, a Newcastle counter-attack led to Willock doubling the Magpies’ advantage.

Fabian Schar charged upfield before finding the 22-year-old, who fired an emphatic finish past David Raya.

Most of Newcastle’s players impressed on the day, and Matt Targett put in an especially tenacious display.

The 26-year-old was on the receiving end of Dasilva’s lunge early on, a nasty tackle that could’ve even broken his leg.

If that wasn’t enough, Targett was also on the end of a late tackle by Kristoffer Ajer.

The Aston Villa loanee was able to brush those off as best he could and was a constant thorn in Brentford’s side.

Targett clocked up some impressive stats, including the most touches in the game (89).

As per Whoscored, he also had two efforts on target, made five key passes, and delivered eight crosses.

Targett also did well defensively, with one interception and four clearances.

A talented, tough player, Targett is just the kind of warrior Howe needs as Newcastle pursue top-flight safety.

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