KIERAN TRIPPIER GIVES BACKSTORY TO GENIUS PENALTY MIND GAMES DURING WIN OVER NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Kieran Trippier has spoken about his stoppage time mind games at the City Ground after helping Newcastle United net three vital points on Friday night.
The Newcastle full-back conned Forest shotstopper Keylor Navas - a former Real Madrid goalkeeper no less - into believing he was stepping up for the vital moment at the end of the game.
With Navas going through his own routine of trying to put Trippier off, he was then stunned as Alexander Isak promptly stepped up before firing home the winner. Talking about his logic, Trippier told Chronicle Live: "Teams can put you off, get in your face.
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"So I just said to Alex: 'Listen, I'll just hold the ball, you just zone-in, get in the moment, do your normal routine and I'll take all the pressure as if I'm taking the penalty. I want you to be as calm as possible.
"And little details like that can help and be a massive and he's put it away in style."
The strike took Isak's tally to six goals for the Magpies and put Newcastle on 47 points for the season with 12 games left to play. When discussing the magnitude of the victory, Trippier said: "We shouldn't underestimate how big a win this is because they are a tough side and results speak for themselves, how well they have performed at home this season.
"As always we leave everything on the pitch and, with no game for two weeks, there are no excuses. We had to run ourselves into the ground and just keep going and just keep believing, which we did to the end."
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