Eddie Howe & Alan Shearer agree on Nick Woltemade's 'spectacular' Newcastle United moment v Nottingham Forest
Nick Woltemade has become just the third Newcastle United player to score in his opening three Premier League games at St James’ Park.
Nick Woltemade continued his fine start to life at Newcastle United with another goal in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
The German striker scored his fourth goal in just five starts as his 84th-minute penalty secured a second Premier League win of the season for Newcastle.
Bruno Guimaraes gave the Magpies the lead near the hour mark before Elliot Anderson fouled the Brazilian for a late penalty.
With designated penalty taker Anthony Gordon off the pitch, Woltemade placed the ball on the spot and fired his penalty into the top left corner.
Eddie Howe and Alan Shearer in agreement over Nick Woltemade penalty
Reacting to the goal, Eddie Howe said: “That was a big moment for us because we'd had so many chances in that second half.
“We hadn't scored the second goal. With every chance that you miss, you're wondering when that second goal or if it will come. It was a big moment. I thought he showed real composure and confidence. It was a great sign for him that he was able to do that in that pressure moment.”
Club legend Alan Shearer labelled Woltemade’s penalty as “great” as he buried his effort into the roof of the net, while Howe called it “spectacular”.
When jokingly asked if that was the best spot-kick he’d seen at the Gallowgate End, Howe replied: “I don't know how many I've seen! It's a difficult moment for me because I just want to see the net ripple. I just want to see him score. I don't really care how it gets there.
“Obviously, there's better ways than others and that was a spectacular one, really. As long as he scores in those moments, that's all that matters.”
Woltemade is just the third Newcastle player to score in their opening three Premier League games at St. James' Park, following Les Ferdinand in 1995 and Alan Shearer in 1996.
Nick Woltemade bounces back from two missed chances
Woltemade stepped having missed two chances in the second half. The first was blocked by Morato before his second effort hit the crossbar.
Howe continued: “Yeah, I was just pleased that he was getting chances in the game and he was involved in that phase of play. It sounds obvious, but goalscorers will miss chances. You just back them. If they keep getting a lot, they will score a lot.
“I loved the way he wanted to take the penalty in the way that he did. It wasn't, ‘I'm taking it’, but it was, I want to take it because I believe I can score and make a difference for the team. And I think he's very team-led. He's not thinking about himself. And that's also a great quality to have.”
Eddie Howe reacts to Newcastle United’s win over Nottingham Forest
Newcastle moved up to 11th in the Premier League ahead of the two-week October international break,
Reflecting on the importance of the win, Howe said: “Yeah, a huge win for us. Huge, huge. I think the players have done really well in this week, to recover from the Arsenal game in the way that they have, the speed, to put that game to the back of our minds and to refocus on two hugely important games, Champions League, to get our season going in that competition.
“And then, of course, the importance of the Premier League, it's such an important competition for us. We've maintained very good standards the last few years, we needed to maintain them. So, at home I thought it was vital we won today.”