Anthony Elanga suggests Eddie Howe has a complete and utter brick wall in his Newcastle defence

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The limelight will be cast upon Newcastle’s attacking stars for their role in a huge 4-0 win away at Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League on Wednesday afternoon.

But an understated part of their victory in Belgium was their defensive unit, one that kept the Pro League side out to claim just their second Champions League clean sheet in the Eddie Howe era.

Nick Woltemade opened the scoring in Brussels with a deft flick from a Sandro Tonali shot, whilst Anthony Gordon doubled the lead in the first-half from the penalty spot after rapid winger Anthony Elanga was felled inside the area.

Gordon doubled his spot-kick brilliance in the second half after a handball shout was confirmed via VAR, and when Harvey Barnes got in on the act late in the second half, it capped a perfect day for the Magpies.

Despite their dominance in front of goal, the St. James’ Park outfit did have to break a sweat to keep the Belgian side out at times, and one defender in particular has been praised for his performance by Elanga.

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Anthony Elanga hints Sven Botman is a ‘brick wall’ in Newcastle’s defence

Sven Botman made just his second Champions League start for Newcastle on Wednesday, with his other incidentally coming in the 0-0 draw with AC Milan two years ago.

It may be no surprise that Botman has been present for both of Newcastle’s Champions League clean sheets under Howe, with his presence fending attackers off on the big stage.

That was evident again in Belgium, with Newcastle managing to keep a clean sheet despite Union having 17 shots against the Magpies on a frantic evening across the North Sea.

Anthony Elanga took particular notice of Botman’s performance and reacted to the Dutchman’s Instagram post following the famous win.

The Swedish winger replied with a brick emoji, hinting at calling the former Lille defender a brick wall.

Other players followed suit, with striker Nick Woltemade posting two emojis of a road closure, hinting that Botman is tough to get by, whilst centre-back partner Malick Thiaw commented “Top Bro”, highlighting the defensive strength that the duo have together.

If that team camaraderie can continue into the Premier League season, Newcastle could look to turn their agonising last-minute defeats into qualifying for the Champions League once again to shine on the big stage.

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Eddie Howe can’t hide his admiration for Newcastle defender Sven Botman

It’s not just the Newcastle players that Sven Botman shares the pitch with who have waxed lyrical over his talents.

Most importantly of all, manager Eddie Howe has joined the growing list of praise for the Dutch defender after he had suffered injury woes last season.

Botman featured in just eight Premier League games last season after dealing with a knee injury until the new year, before another knee issue only saw him return in April for the final five games of the league campaign, but results are gradually improving with the defender returning.

And Howe has marvelled over just how vital it is that Botman has returned to the fore. He told the press: “It’s great to see Sven back to the form that we know he’s capable of, and he’s such a big player in terms of ball distribution and helping us elevate our game to another level.

“I think, when he’s in his best moment, he was fundamentally important to our rise two years ago.”

If Botman and Thiaw can get a consistent partnership going, then the sky could be the limit for Newcastle this season.