As good as Willock: 8/10 star just saved Newcastle's FA Cup hopes

Newcastle United survived a scare, but the Magpies are through to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Birmingham City took a quickfire lead, scoring after just a minute of action, but goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson appeared to put the north-east side in the driving seat.

Birmingham v Newcastle United – Key Statistics
Stat	Highest-ranked player(s)
Accurate passes	Emil Krafth (56)
Key passes	William Osula, Keshi Anderson, Valentino Livramento (3)
Successful dribbles	Joe Willock (4)
Shots on target	Joe Willock (3)
Ground duels won	William Osula (12)
Via Sofascore

Tomoki Iwata then scored a sublime effort from outside the box which levelled things up before half-time and the tie was finely poised.

With the clock ticking down, it looked as though another 30 minutes would be required to settle the match, but up stepped Willock again with a moment of magic.

The Englishman was superb against the League One side, and he certainly saved Eddie Howe’s blushes.

Joe Willock’s excellent display against Birmingham City

The 25-year-old had only started 10 times for the Magpies prior to this fourth-round clash. Howe unleashed him in the starting XI, and it was the perfect chance for him to stake a claim for regular minutes.

While his two goals helped see the club through to the next round, the Englishman also succeeded with four of his six dribble attempts, made two key passes, created a big chance and won seven ground duels throughout the match.

It was a performance that will undoubtedly have pleased the manager, especially considering his desire to prevent the tie from going to extra time.

Although Willock was excellent, it was another player who proved to be Howe’s real hero: William Osula.

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William Osula took his chance against Birmingham City

Since the turn of the year, Osula had played just 85 minutes for the Magpies, starting once. This came during the FA Cup third-round tie against Bromley last month, a game in which the Danish starlet notched his first goal for the Magpies.

Talented, no doubt, but the 21-year-old had yet to convince the manager of his abilities in the final third.

Against Birmingham, he registered two assists in the first half, while making three key passes and succeeding with three of his four dribble attempts, showcasing how effective he was out wide.

Osula delivered three crosses during his time on the pitch, although none were accurate, while he also won an impressive 12 ground duels and completed 88% of his passes.

It was a mature performance by the forward and will surely give Howe a major headache as he looks ahead to the clash against Manchester City next weekend.

So impressive was his performance, journalist Dominic Scurr from the Shields Gazette gave the youngster a match rating of 8/10, saying that ‘his pace and power made him a real threat down the right’ at St Andrews.

Could this be the display that gives Osula confidence he can make the grade at St James’ Park under Howe? Only time will tell.