Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has made a passing jab at Eddie Howe and Newcastle United’s recent League Cup victory over Liverpool.
The Magpies earned their first domestic victory since 1955 with their 2-1 win over Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday in what was a historic moment for the club.
Given that they had failed in the same fixture in 2023 losing to Man United, this represented an important moment for the club and they seized the opportunity with both hands, securing a fine victory.
Since then, Howe has been given the freedom of the city and he will join Alan Shearer, Bobby Robson and Jackie Milburn in having his name carved into the walls of the civic centre’s banqueting hall.
With the move to be confirmed at the next council meeting, before becoming a freeman, Howe would be required to swear to defend the city of Newcastle.
Karen Kilgour, the council leader, has proposed Newcastle’s manager for the city’s highest honour. “What Eddie has achieved is nothing short of extraordinary,” she said. “He will be forever a hero to our city.”
Following the win, Howe expressed his delight and pride in securing a famous win. “I am very, very emotional and have been all day, which is very unlike me. We knew what was at stake for all of our fans. We wanted to do them proud and win the trophy.
Howe added: “We were well aware of history. We wanted to do the club proud. We wanted to score. We wanted to perform, we wanted to win. We are breaking new ground. I thought we were magnificent.”
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Scholes’ ill-timed joke
In terms of Scholes, who was speaking on the Overlap, he replied to a Newcastle supporter who asked himself and Jamie Carragher about Howe: “I want to ask you… does Eddie Howe deserve a statue?”
To which Scholes responded with a mocking jab. “You won the League Cup f***ing hell! Everyone tries to get knocked out of that all year!”
The post on social media quickly received backlash from Newcastle’s loyal supporters. “That response from Scholes is absolutely rank,” one fan said. “Arrogant, out of touch & completely classless.”
From that game, he also revealed that Alexis Mac Allister was a big disappointment for him, claiming the Argentinian, among others, were simply overpowered by Newcastle’s midfield trio. Scholes said on The Overlap: “You have to be a little bit disappointed with the way Liverpool played, especially in the midfield area. I just think Newcastle overpowered them.
“I think Mac Allister is a really good player, he’s been really good for them this season, but it was just common sense for me.
“He kept taking too many touches. When you’re playing against powerful people, it’s the last thing you do; you’ve got to take one or two touches, don’t let anyone near you.
“It’s not something Mac Allister does, is it? And he’s the player I think gets Liverpool playing, almost like a Modric has been through the years. When he’s not quite right, I just think the whole thing’s messed up.”
