Sky Sports capture Alexander Isak's reaction to Newcastle United goal v Man Utd - it says everything

The striker still played a key role in the win with an excellent assist to help Sandro Tonali open the scoring. Alejandro Garnacho equalised in the first half before Newcastle ran riot in the second with a Harvey Barnes brace followed by a fourth goal from Bruno Guimaraes.

With the 4-1 win over Manchester United following a 3-0 win at Leicester City, it’s now seven goals in two games for Newcastle - but none of those goals have been scored by the club’s top scorer.

Isak has 24 goals for Newcastle this season and became the first player to score 20 or more Premier League goals in consecutive seasons for the club when he last found the net in the 2-1 win over Brentford.

While two games without a goal is hardly a barren run, you could sense Isak’s frustration as Newcastle put Manchester United to the sword in the second half but he was unable to get in on the action.

Alexander Isak frustration evident as Bruno Guimaraes makes it Newcastle United 4-1 Manchester United

Newcastle made it 4-1 as Joelinton cut out goalkeeper Altay Bayındır’s attempted pass to find Guimaraes with a one-on-one opportunity. Isak was alongside the Brazilian shouting for a pass that would have almost certainly seen him stroke the ball into an empty net. Instead, Guimaraes went for goal himself and found the bottom right corner.

The Sky Sports cameras captured Isak’s slight frustration at not being passed the ball even as it hit the net as the Swede’s celebrations afterwards were somewhat muted. As Guimaraes celebrated in front of the Stawberry Corner at St James’ Park, Isak slowly made his way over to congratulate his teammate.

But Isak’s reaction just shows why he is an elite striker, hungry for goals in all situations. While he played an important role in the win, he ultimately left the pitch with a sense of frustration on a personal level for not being able to add to his impressive goal tally for the campaign.

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Alexander Isak substitution explained

Shortly after Guimaraes’ goal, Isak was withdrawn and replaced by Callum Wilson. Isak has been managing a groin issue in recent weeks but has been able to get through recent matches.

But with Crystal Palace coming up on Wednesday and then a trip to Aston Villa on Saturday, Newcastle were keen to protect their players as they look to continue their charge for Champions League qualification.

Explaining the flurry of changes that saw Isak, Joelinton, Kieran Trippier, Jacob Murphy and Guimaraes withdrawn late on, Newcastle assistant manager Jason Tindall said: “We are little busy coming up. When you get into the last ten minutes, you get that luxury to be able to take a few players off and save their legs.”

Newcastle’s win over Manchester United saw them climb to fourth in the Premier League table and gives them the opportunity to go third with a result in their game in hand match against Palace on Wednesday. If The Magpies beat Palace, it will put them five points inside the Champions League places with six games left to play.

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