Sandro Tonali was at it again as Newcastle United beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
The midfielder returned to Eddie Howe’s starting XI after two games on the bench through illness, and it was like he had never been away.
The 25-year-old was the best player in black and white during Newcastle United’s 2-0 win over Spurs, as they booked their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals against Fulham.
It was another inspired performance from Sandro Tonali, who picked up the player of the match award for his efforts.
He was outstanding, much to the delight of Nick Woltemade and other members of the Newcastle United squad.
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Nick Woltemade hails ‘quality’ Sandro Tonali as others react
After Newcastle United advanced in the Carabao Cup, Tonali took to his official Instagram account to deliver a message to supporters.
Alongside pictures of himself in action against Spurs, the Italy international simply wrote: “This is NUFC!”
While Tonali’s words are nothing to get excited about, his teammates used it as an opportunity to shower him with praise.
The first was Nick Woltemade, who commented ‘quality’ in response to Tonali’s post.
Dan Burn and Bruno Guimaraes also responded to Tonali’s Instagram message. They both commented: “Maestro.”
Malick Thiaw was particularly blown away by his performance, adding: “Mamma mia.”
The defender was seriously impressed with Tonali, or he was just naming his favourite ABBA hit…
Sandro Tonali leads by example after recent Newcastle United snub
The Newcastle United squad recently added a new player to their leadership group following the departure of Callum Wilson.
Tonali was in the mix, but it was Nick Pope who won the vote from the Toon players. He joins Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, Jacob Murphy and Jamaal Lascelles.
That will not have concerned Tonali, who can be a leader for the Magpies regardless of whether he is in a group.
He was exactly that on Wednesday, proving to be a talismanic figure in the Carabao Cup tie against Spurs. Tonali dominated the game, constantly taking responsibility in and out of possession on a night that saw superstars Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon start on the bench.
It was another ridiculously good performance from Newcastle’s number eight, who did provide an injury scare in the final few minutes. He appeared to be in some discomfort, which was worrying given his importance.
However, Eddie Howe insists Tonali had cramp, which is a product of the crazy amount of running he did!
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