Eddie Howe owes Newcastle’s victory to 91% near-flawless pass master, and it’s not Guimaraes

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Newcastle United took a huge step in their Premier League campaign after a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, lifting themselves out of any immediate relegation zone danger.

The Magpies went into the game after an underwhelming start to the season, only winning one of their opening six Premier League games. With three 0-0 draws away from home and four goals scored equally, the joint-lowest tally in the league, something had to change on home turf.

Admittedly, Newcastle have played well in games this season and were incredibly unlucky to concede last-minute winners to both Liverpool and Arsenal at St. James’ Park, which would have left them unbeaten in the build-up to Forest’s visit.

However, that was quelled when Bruno Guimaraes scored the opener on the hour mark, and Nick Woltemade rounded that off with a superb penalty.

The Brazilian star rightly earns all the plaudits as their star player, with the skipper coming up with the goods when needed. However, another Newcastle star goes understated as the unsung hero, and that was the case in their win over the Tricky Trees.

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Joelinton was vital in Newcastle win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League

Although his Brazilian teammate will grab the headlines, Joelinton was impressive for Newcastle as the unsung hero.

A scrappy first-half played right into his hands. A tenacious player at the worst of times, Joelinton was everywhere with shots, tackles and tussles galore to unsettle Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Sandro Tonali enjoyed a strong game in his deep-lying nature, and with Bruno Guimaraes unable to impact the game too much in the first half, it was Joelinton’s rough and rumble nature that threatened to put Newcastle on the front foot.

He had the first shot of the game, saved by former Magpies goalkeeper Matz Sels, before another header on target at the quarter-hour mark saw him become Newcastle’s biggest threat going forward.

A wild longshot from distance went flying wide, and although he wasn’t quite prolific by any means, that nature gave the game some life.

Per Sofascore, 91 percent of his passes were accurate, whilst his rambunctious efforts saw him involved in duels in the centre of the park.

Although he didn’t win too many, that disrupted Forest’s attacking stars from making any instant moves on the turnover and that was evident with three interceptions in the middle.

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Eddie Howe will love Joelinton for being the underrated hero in his Newcastle squad

Fans are well aware of Joelinton’s boisterous nature, having coined a chant for him. He’s a real cult hero on Tyneside and that doesn’t go unnoticed from the stands.

However, it’s easy to forget just how vital the midfielder is for Eddie Howe’s setup and system throughout the entire season on all fronts.

Of course, Guimaraes is their best player overall, and he will take the plaudits for his performance on the day. Sandro Tonali is also their classiest midfielder, spraying passes in the maestro style that he has shown regularly throughout his career.

But Joelinton does the dirty work that allows Newcastle’s ‘rock and roll’ style to flourish. At such a daunting fortress, the crowd can really get on top of you and Joelinton’s physicality really implements that.

He may not be the most technically gifted player at the club, but he can be just as vital as their other stars, even on his off days.