Isak gets one over Mitrovic in ‘battle of Alexs’ as Newcastle beat Fulham 1-0

NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe said that Newcastle United will assess the damage done to star man Bruno Guimaraes’ ankle before making any January transfer replacement decisions.

The Brazilian midfielder limped off at halftime in the Magpies’ late 1-0 win over Fulham, a victory that maintains their charge towards Champions League football.

Substitute Alexander Isak got the only goal on Sunday at St James’ Park.

Guimaraes was visibly upset during his walk off the pitch at the break after turning his ankle midway through the first half.

And United’s head coach revealed there is some concern about the condition of the 25-year-old, particularly with a Carabao Cup semi-final double-header against Southampton on the horizon.

“He was (in distress), and he was after the game,” Howe said.

“He’s worried about his ankle; it was a twist. He felt he could carry on until the end of the first half when he signaled to come off. Never a good sign from our perspective.

“We’ll get it scanned and see what the damage is. We hope it’s not long term but at this moment in time, we don’t know.”

Guimaraes took to social media after the match to express his disappointment at suffering the injury.

He tweeted: “Very sad about today’s injury, hopeful it’s nothing serious and that I can do what I love most as soon as possible.”

United were already looking for a midfielder to complement their current crop during the January transfer window, but the injury to Guimaraes, as well as youngster Elliot Anderson, may well hasten the need for recruits.

Howe said: “I’ll first assess the injury. We are light in midfield, there’s no doubt about that. Today we were missing Elliot as well, who’s another player who can play in there, with — we think — a minor calf problem.

“We’ll get the diagnosis on Bruno’s injury and then make a decision.”

It took the Magpies until the 89th minute to net their winner, as injury-plagued Swede Isak netted only his third goal of the season after making a club record switch from Real Sociedad in the summer.

Howe said: “The goal was a special moment.

“I am so pleased for Alex. You want to hit the ground running at a new club and he did before the injury.”

Fulham boss Marco Silva was less than impressed with referee Robert Jones missing what he saw as a definite penalty and a red card. The call, made at 0-0, he thinks could have been transformative.

He said: “I have to mention of course the moment of the penalty. Not because we missed, that can happen, the players are on the pitch and they can miss a penalty.

“It was in different circumstances that Mitro (Aleksandar Mitrovic) missed the penalty, but I have to mention the decision of the referee and the decision of the VAR.

“It is difficult for us to understand in 30 seconds two decisions in the box. Two clear decisions in the box at that moment.

“It is difficult to understand how the referee didn’t see one, at least one. I think it is normal to see in 30 seconds two moments inside the box. It was of consequence in the game, in my opinion.”