Newcastle fans stunned by ‘unreal’ Elliot Anderson after what they saw
Newcastle United fans have been left wowed by the performance of Elliot Anderson on his return to St James’ Park with Nottingham Forest.
Eddie Howe’s side fought to secure a 4-3 win at home after Callum Hudson-Odoi’s sixth-minute opener was cancelled out by goals from Lewis Miley, Jacob Murphy, and a brace from Alexander Isak.
The second half saw Forest mount a fight back, with goals from Nikola Milenkovic and Ryan Yates ultimately not enough to overturn the first-half demolition.
However, it was a Forest player in Anderson who grabbed the attention of the home supporters as many were impressed by his return to St James’ Park.
His performance helped to change the game in Forest’s favour after half time, as he completed one key pass, attempted three shots, won seven of high eight ground duels, drew three fouls and made four tackles in a fantastic all-round display. [Sofascore]
The midfielder was given a warm applause by the home crowd when he was taken off in the 77th minute as a sign that he is still loved at his boyhood club.
Now, supporters are insisting they wish he had never been sold to begin with and would have preferred him to be playing in black and white.
PSR concerns forced Elliot Anderson sale to Nottingham Forest
Anderson left Newcastle to join Forest in the summer as a result of Newcastle’s profit and sustainability concerns which meant they were forced to sell homegrown assets.
Yankuba Minteh also left St James’ Park as he joined Brighton, leaving supporters frustrated at seeing two of their best young players leave the club.
Since his move to the East Midlands, Anderson has established himself as a key player at the City Ground, with 26 appearances, one goal and five assists to his name.
Seeing one of Newcastle’s brightest academy graduates turning in an eye-catching performance at St James’ Park left many supporters wondering what might have been.
Newcastle fans wowed by Elliot Anderson at St James’ Park
This was Anderson’s first time returning to St James’ Park since his departure, although he has played Newcastle twice already this season.
A difficult first half saw groups of fans insisting they were right to keep Lewis Miley, who had been linked with leaving Newcastle, and let Anderson leave when they needed to raise funds.
However, others have taken to social media in the aftermath of the game to praise their former academy star as they labelled him “unreal”.
Others, however, weren’t so full of praise as they gave plaudits to Miley’s display.
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