Newcastle United’s Swedish-Eritrean striker Alexander Isak has expressed a mixture of satisfaction and relief following his team’s nail-biting 4-3 victory over Nottingham Forest at St. James’ Park on Sunday.
The 24-year-old forward, who has been in scintillating form this season, played a pivotal role in the match by netting a brace, further solidifying his status as one of the Premier League’s most prolific goal-scorers.
Isak, born to Eritrean parents who sought refuge in Sweden, has been a revelation for Newcastle this season, amassing an impressive tally of 17 goals and 5 assists in just 23 Premier League appearances.
Reflecting on the match, Isak commended the team’s resilience, particularly their response to conceding an early goal.
“It was a brilliant first half, the reaction after conceding was really good. We dropped a bit second half and conceded sloppy goals. I’m obviously happy to win the game.”
On his far from convincing penalty, Isak admitted: “No, I already made my mind up I was going to go down the middle. It counts so it doesn’t matter.
“The most important thing was to win. We want to win more comfortably, but it was a big win.”
Isak’s performance in this match is a continuation of his impressive run, having now scored in eight consecutive Premier League games.
His consistent goal-scoring prowess has not only been crucial for Newcastle’s success but has also seen him surpass expectations, with his 17 goals exceeding his expected goals (xG) of 14.18 for the season.