Howe hails three unsung heroes from Union SG 0-4 Newcastle - "Very pleased with him"

Newcastle enjoyed the perfect Wednesday night, blowing away Union SG in a 4-0 win that marked our most emphatic victory in the Champions League.

Anthony Gordon's brace of penalties saw him make the headlines, along with Nick Woltemade for his standout display and opening goal, but it was a display filled with strong performances.

After praising Woltemade in a post-match interview, Eddie Howe has also had nothing but good things to say about three other Newcastle stars who stood out in last night's vital win.

Thiaw impressing on and off the pitch

Nick Woltemade isn’t the only German who has drawn acclaim for his recent performances, as Malick Thiaw has been nothing short of superb since he joined from AC Milan.

Silencing any doubters within Italy who questioned the £34m price tag, Thiaw has deputised for the injured Fabian Schar very well, and it looks like he and Botman could indeed be a partnership for years to come.

Howe has praised the way in which he's settled into the squad, revealed how good he's been in training and spoke highly of his performance last night as he delivered another Rolls Royce display alongside Sven Botman:

“He’s come into the football club, and the biggest compliment I can pay him is that he’s settled in really quickly. He’s looked at home with his teammates, he’s been excellent in training.

"Obviously the challenge for him was to wait for his opportunity because Sven and Dan started the season, and the defensive performances were excellent.”

“There was a period where he had to be patient and wait and he was absolutely fine. Now the challenge is, the opportunity arises, you’ve got to come in and grab it, and I think he’s done that. Very pleased with him today.”

"Him and Sven are building a good relationship, and their use of the ball was of the highest level today."

Big praise for Elanga and Tonali

Although he still hasn’t been able to find himself on the scoresheet just yet, last night was undoubtedly Anthony Elanga’s best performance in black and white since he signed from Nottingham Forest.

The Swedish winger was at the heart of so many of our attacks, delivered some brilliant balls into the box and played a key role in our second goal, as his pace and quick feet won the penalty leading to Gordon's first spot kick.

On his display and growing influence in the side, Howe said:

“I think he’s had his moments in every game that he’s played that have been very similar. Against Barcelona he almost made two goals with very similar movements that he made today.

"He is a quick, direct player, good 1v1, and I think any left back or right back that plays against him will feel his threat. Then it's about him growing into the team and knowing where his teammates want the ball.

"Very pleased with his effort and what he's trying to give the team, and of course he won us a penalty at a crucial stage of the game."

Howe had similarly high praise for Sandro Tonali after another stellar midfield performance from the Milanese Maestro.

“I think you saw the best of Sandro today.

"He was driving with the ball in an attacking sense, driving with the ball through midfield, he looked dynamic, he looked athletic.

"Technically, I thought Joelinton, Bruno, Sandro controlled that midfield in the early stages of the game which gave us confidence and a platform to build off."