Ex-Leeds star hails Harvey Barnes after ‘vital’ moments in Newcastle win: ‘What I love about him is…’
Harvey Barnes scored twice as Newcastle beat Leeds 4-3 in an entertaining encounter on Wednesday night.
The visitors were ahead at the break as a goal from Brenden Aaronson and a Dominic Calvert-Lewin penalty cancelled out Barnes’ 36th-minute strike for the hosts.
Joelinton then levelled the game in the 54th minute, before Aaronson’s second had Leeds ahead again going into the latter stages.
A spot-kick from Bruno Guimaraes drew Newcastle level in the 91st minute, before Barnes swivelled and scored to complete the turnaround in the 12th minute of stoppage time.
Eddie Howe’s side are up to sixth with their latest victory, and now find themselves firmly in the race for Champions League qualification, and they predominantly have Barnes to thank.
Stephen Warnock gushes over Harvey Barnes after brace vs Leeds
Howe has been under pressure at Newcastle at times this season, but their current run of three consecutive games has helped to alleviate any slight fears of him potentially losing his job.
The Magpies initially endured a slow start to the campaign, as they looked to juggle their domestic games with their European exploits, but they have found their groove over the New Year period.
Barnes starred in their midweek victory this time around, as his brace helped the Tynesiders overcome another spirited display from newly-promoted Leeds.
The winger’s contributions were certainly not lost on Stephen Warnock, who lavished praise upon him during his analysis of the game on Match of the Day, despite his goals coming against his former club.
“It was so vital what he (Barnes) did tonight, the first goal and the fourth goal were so important,” the former Leeds left-back said.
“What I love about Barnes is, when he’s in the penalty box, it’s one touch, it’s instinctive. He was at the heart of everything good that Newcastle did. He absolutely loves playing against Leeds.”
Barnes’ displays to have a big impact on his Newcastle future
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown has exclusively told Football Insider that Barnes has secured his future at Newcastle with his recent displays.
The wideman had been linked with a move away from St James’ Park in January, but his recent run of form now appears to have reiterated his importance to Howe and the team.
The former Leicester City star now has nine goals to his name in all competitions this term, with six of those strikes having come since the start of November.
Barnes has strong competition in the wide areas from the likes of Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy, but Brown feels that he can rubber-stamp his place in the starting XI moving forward if he continues to show the same level of consistency.
Howe hasn’t always handed regular opportunities to the wideman, but he will undoubtedly be grateful for his involvement on Wednesday night.