Newcastle received plenty of praise for their victory over Sheffield United on Saturday, and rightly so.
The Magpies resumed their 2019/20 campaign in the best possible after a perfect afternoon at St James’ Park, with a 3-0 victory over Chris Wilder’s Blades and with all three goals coming in the second period.
Allan Saint-Maximin, Matt Richie and Joelinton scored in the space of 23 minutes to secure the three points to move them further away from the drop zone.
The Athletic writer Chris Waugh picked out one player in particular for praise on Twitter, after stating how shocked he was with Steve Bruce’s side.
Still in (positive) shock#SUFC were poor but I was really impressed by #NUFC 2nd half. The front 4 linked really well. Hopefully that is just what Joelinton needed. Saint-Maximin looked really sharp too.
But my MOTM was Hayden. Thought he was everywhere & controlled midfield
— Chris Waugh (@ChrisDHWaugh) June 21, 2020
Issac Hayden’s composure and control in the midfield was highlighted by Waugh as one of the reasons why he was the stand out performer.
During the 90 minutes, the Englishman made two interceptions, two key passes and a pass success rate of 86%, as per Sofascore.
Can Saturday's performance be the catalyst for a top 10 finish?
Yes
No
It is another reason why Hayden is one of the first names on Bruce’s teamsheet and has been praised by the St James’ Park faithful for some of his outings.
Hopefully, the Toon Army get to see more eye-catching performances from the 25-year-old, with a crucial set of fixtures coming up.