Ian Wright has been speaking on the latest edition of Match of the Day about Newcastle United’s 3-2 win over Southampton.
One of the topics that Wright talked about was Isaac Hayden’s performance.
The 25-year-old started the game in the centre of defence and turned in a performance that earned him just a 6.45 rating from WhoScored but he got a 9/10 rating from The Chronicle.
Wright highlighted two particular moments from the game where Hayden helped his team.
One moment was when he blocked a shot from Danny Ings on the line, and Wright praised the former Arsenal man for his awareness.
He said: (31:42) “Look at Hayden there, he realises [the]’ keeper is out of place and he goes on the line, great stuff; maybe Danny Ings could have hit that with the left foot, but Hayden, brilliant awareness to get himself on the line.”
The other moment that Wright spoke about was a last-ditch tackle to deny Jannik Vestergaard the chance to score.
Wright said: (32:05) “Hayden again, the key man here, this is right at the death now, and then there’s a touch there; it looks like he’s missed but that touch there (from Hayden) is just enough to help them win the game.”
Do you think Hayden's performance deserved praise?
Yes, he was rock solid
No, he was shaky
TIF Thoughts on Hayden’s performance…
The 25-year-old, who is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, has played in both central defence and in defensive midfield this season for Newcastle and after the match, Steve Bruce was full of praise for his performance as a centre-back.
As could be seen from the footage, Hayden made two crucial interventions that denied the Saints two probable goals and he helped his side to earn a huge three points.
The former Hull City man was crucial for the Toon on Saturday, and we think it was great to see Wright highlighting his role in a huge win for his team, giving him praise for his performance in a game where he was not playing in his natural position.