Newcastle United went undefeated in April, drawing against Spurs and Liverpool with wins against West Ham United and Burnley.
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Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce took home the Premier League (PL) Manager of the Month award for April 2021. The decision might have come as a shock to many fans as people expected the likes of Pep Guardiola or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to take the award, with both Manchester clubs delivering impressive performances during the month. However, Bruce had pulled off quite a feat as he went unbeaten in the month despite facing teams like Tottenham Hotspur and former champions Liverpool. Newcastle United have had a pretty woeful season and they sit at 16th place on the table with only three matches left to play.
The first Newcastle fixture in the month was against Spurs. Despite having an extremely below-par season, Tottenham are a side packed with world-class footballers like Harry Kane, Heung Min Son, Lucas Moura, and several others. The Magpies themselves have not had a good season and a Spurs victory seemed confirmed. The match, however, ended 2-2. A Joe Willock strike at the 85th minute earned Newcastle a point.
Bruce secured hard-fought victories against Burnley and West Ham United, both of which seemed improbable on paper. Jacob Murphy and Allan Saint-Maximin’s second-half strikes saw Steve Bruce’s men gather all three points at Turf Moor against Burnley. Perhaps the most impressive result of all was the Magpies’ win against an in-form West Ham United. The game was a thriller that ended 3-2. An Issa Diop own goal, and strikes from Joelinton and Joe Willock gave Newcastle a hard-fought three points.
The final game of the month saw Steve Bruce visit the intimidating Anfield stadium to take on Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Newcastle were behind within three minutes due to a Mohammed Salah goal and it seemed like it would be the decider. However, a very late equaliser, at 95 minutes, by Joe Willock broke Liverpool hearts as the points were shared.
Newcastle fans have been discontent throughout the season with Steve Bruce as manager and it is safe to say that there has been enormous pressure on him, especially in the last few games. Fans were already unhappy with former boss Rafa Benitez’s dismissal and Bruce’s subsequent appointment two years back. Fans have also been upset with club owner Mike Ashley over his failure to invest in the club.
