‘Alexander Isak is in red-hot form’ – but are Newcastle United in Premier League title race?
Life couldn’t be better for Newcastle fans right now.
The Magpies are on a club-record nine consecutive wins in all competitions, have one of the hottest strikers in world football in Alexander Isak and are back in the Premier League’s top four for the first time. Time starting in September.
In Wednesday’s comfortable win over Wolves, in-form Isak became the first Newcastle player to score in eight consecutive Premier League games, scoring once either side in the half before adding a third for the Magpies .
Their latest win leaves Eddie Howe’s side three points above champions Manchester City and nine behind Premier League leaders Liverpool – despite having played a game more.
When asked if Newcastle are now in the Premier League title race, former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer insisted they are.
“No, that’s not the case,” Shearer told Match of the Day when asked if the Reds’ advantage was insurmountable. “The way they (Newcastle) are at the moment, the way they’re performing – they’re solid defensively, they’re keeping clean sheets. There’s no doubt that their system is working well.”
“With (Alexander Isak) up front, you have a chance.”
In the 1997-98 season, Arsenal overcame the largest points gap to win the Premier League title. At the end of December, they were still 13 points behind Manchester United despite having a game in hand.
United overcame 12-point deficits in the 1992-93 and 1995-96 seasons. The latter still leads Newcastle by four points after 23 games.
The Red Devils have also closed a 10-point deficit on three occasions, while Manchester City did the same against Liverpool in 2018-19, winning 18 of their last 19 games.
“Newcastle are getting better and better,” former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told TNT Sports. “They couldn’t stop scoring goals, Isak was fantastic.
“Their stories continue to evolve.”
