As good as Willock: 8/10 star just saved Newcastle’s FA Cup hopes
Newcastle United survived a scare, but the Magpies are through to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Birmingham City took a quickfire lead, scoring after just a minute of action, but goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilsonappeared to put the north-east side in the driving seat.
| Stat | Highest-ranked player(s) |
| Accurate passes | Emil Krafth (56) |
| Key passes | William Osula, Keshi Anderson, Valentino Livramento (3) |
| Successful dribbles | Joe Willock (4) |
| Shots on target | Joe Willock (3) |
| Ground duels won | William Osula (12) |
| Via Sofascore | |
Tomoki Iwata then scored a sublime effort from outside the box which levelled things up before half-time and the tie was finely poised.
With the clock ticking down, it looked as though another 30 minutes would be required to settle the match, but up stepped Willock again with a moment of magic.
The Englishman was superb against the League One side, and he certainly saved Eddie Howe’s blushes.
Joe Willock’s excellent display against Birmingham City
The 25-year-old had only started 10 timesfor the Magpies prior to this fourth-round clash. Howe unleashed him in the starting XI, and it was the perfect chance for him to stake a claim for regular minutes.
It was a performance that will undoubtedly have pleased the manager, especially considering his desire to prevent the tie from going to extra time.
Although Willock was excellent, it was another player who proved to be Howe’s real hero: William Osula.
William Osula took his chance against Birmingham City
Since the turn of the year, Osula had played just 85 minutes for the Magpies, starting once. This came during the FA Cup third-round tie against Bromley last month, a game in which the Danish starlet notched his first goal for the Magpies.
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