Newcastle United 'turbulent' transfer U-turn pays dividends after Aston Villa agreement falls through
Newcastle United beat Bradford City 4-1 in the Carabao Cup third round at St James’ Park thanks to braces from Joelinton and William Osula.
William Osula took his tally to three for the season with a brace in Newcastle United’s 4-1 win over Bradford City in the Carabao Cup.
The 22-year-old has already surpassed his tally from last season, having also scored in the 3-2 defeat against Liverpool last month.
Joelinton opened the scoring for Newcastle at St James’ Park before Osula made it 2-0 moments later. Joelinton made it 3-0 in the second half before Andy Cook pulled a goal back for the League One leaders.
Osula then popped up to make it 4-1 in the closing stages to turn in Harvey Barnes’ low cross. The win sees Newcastle progress to the last-16 of the competition, where they will host Tottenham Hotspur on the week commencing October 27.
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Eddie Howe on Bradford win
Reflecting on the match, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe said: “We wanted to win today. We wanted to score, try and entertain everybody that came tonight. I thought we did that.
“I think it was always going to be a difficult game. No one makes anything easy for you, Bradford are top of their league and full of confidence.
“So we needed an element of patience in our performance. But once we got into our groove, we were very good today.”
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Eddie Howe on William Osula impact after ‘turbulent’ deadline day
The Magpies came close to losing Osula on deadline day but potential deals lined-up with Aston Villa and then Eintracht Frankfurt ultimately fell through.
With Yoane Wissa injured shortly after his arrival, Osula remaining at the club could be seen as a blessing to help share the attacking responsibilities.
“He's progressing really well,” Howe said on Osula. “Yeah, it was a slightly turbulent transfer or end to the transfer window for him.
“But he took his goals really well today. I think he's been slowly but surely, I think it's the same with every player, slowly but surely, especially the younger ones, improving his game.
“And I think you can see today, it wasn't just the goals. It was link play, hold up play, pressing understanding, all the things that when you're at the top of the pitch are fundamental to the team's performance, he has to deliver.
“And I thought he delivered them all well. And then he's got the attributes to play wide as well. Pleased to see him go into that position and then score.”
On whether Osula has put himself in contention to return to the starting line-up for Premier League and Champions League matches, Howe added: “It depends on my team selection. Obviously, I think he's done himself no harm today. That will do him the world of good.