Anthony Elanga scored his first Premier League goal for Newcastle United in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool, sprinting 61 yards to beat Milos Kerkez before rifling his effort past Alisson and into the bottom left-hand corner.
The 24-year-old's fourth-minute strike came after Will Osula's through ball released him deep inside his own half. It was a moment that felt familiar to the one he faced on his debut for the Magpies 12 months earlier, when Sandro Tonali's pass split the Aston Villa backline and Elanga's point-blank effort was saved by Marco Bizot.
A season of struggle followed by a breakthrough
That miss at Villa Park proved to be a sliding doors moment, as the £55million summer signing went on to struggle in his first season on Tyneside. Despite scoring a brace against Barcelona in the Champions League and a goal in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City, Elanga scored zero Premier League goals in his first season for the club.
Sunday's chance, however, was taken. Elanga had enjoyed a fantastic World Cup, scoring twice as Sweden qualified for the knockout stages before losing to France, and had looked electric during pre-season.
How Jaissle plans to use Elanga's pace
The goal not only gave Newcastle an early lead but offered an insight into how Matthias Jaissle wants to get the best out of the 24-year-old this season, using his electric pace to Newcastle's advantage. The Magpies want to be aggressive and front-footed in their press and ruthlessly efficient when they recover possession, with Jaissle wanting his team to get as close to the goal as quickly as possible.
Elanga started on the right-hand side of Newcastle's 4-2-3-1 formation, with Yoane Wissa playing in the No 10 role behind Osula up front. Wissa and Osula's work off the ball allowed Elanga to 'cheat' a bit defensively in order to make him their principal threat going forward.
Carragher compares Elanga to Henry
Wissa was involved in more duels than any other Newcastle player on the pitch (19) and won more fouls (four) than any of his team-mates. Elanga's average position was the highest forward of all of Newcastle's players on the day, keeping him as an outlet for their counter-attacks.
The manner of his goal even had Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher comparing him to Thierry Henry. "Look at Elanga and the distance he has got to make up on Kerkez," Carragher said on Monday Night Football. "It reminds me of Thierry Henry against me so I can't say too much but Elanga has ran 61 yards before he touches the ball. The first touch is sensational and the finish is brilliant as well."
According to Opta, Elanga and Wissa were Newcastle's best players on the day, both scoring 7.84 on their points metric ratings system. Having failed to score in 32 Premier League appearances last season, managing to do so in the opening game this season should give him huge belief and a platform to build on heading into the rest of the campaign.
