Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer sent a Twitter message telling Ayoze Perez he was set for the Premier League team of the week after the Spaniard’s hat trick against Southampton on Saturday.
The Magpies forward netted two goals in the first half against the Saints before completing his treble with a flicked header in the final five minutes to secure a 3-1 win and a valuable three points for Rafael Benitez’s side.
Taking to his personal Twitter account to celebrate his former side’s victory, he applauded what he saw from Perez, writing: “Very impressive again Ayoze Perez. Premier League team of the week for you!”
Very impressive again @AyozePG ??????????????? @premierleague team of the week for you! ?????? #NEWSOU
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) April 20, 2019
Opinion
Just as Shearer’s one armed celebration became the go to impersonation for young Newcastle fans on parks and streets back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ayoze Perez’s fingers in the ear will be replicated all over the north east after this latest display. All three were goals that Shearer would have been proud of and it was an all round brilliant display from the Magpies, who can surely finally start celebrating another season of Premier League football. Perez has come under fire from the Toon Army in the past but he must have silenced the last of the doubters, demonstrating not just his brilliant ability to stick the ball in the back of the net, which included some quick thinking for his third goal, but a great work ethic which kept Southampton under pressure even in their own half. This was one of the performances of Newcastle’s season and considering how much criticism he has come under, it is perhaps fitting it was Perez who sealed victory.