William Osula came off the bench to inspire Newcastle United to a dramatic victory over Manchester United at St James’ Park, scoring late to hand manager Michael Carrick his first defeat in charge.
Manchester United arrived at the encounter buoyed by a strong run of form, having recorded six wins in their previous seven matches.
However, the visitors were unable to maintain that momentum as Newcastle secured the crucial win on home soil.
The hosts took the lead in first-half stoppage time after Bruno Fernandes fouled Anthony Gordon inside the penalty area. Gordon stepped up and converted the spot kick to put Newcastle ahead.
Fernandes later made amends for the earlier mistake by delivering a well-placed cross that was headed home by Casemiro, restoring parity for the visitors.
Newcastle were reduced to 10 men in the first half after Gordon Ramsay was sent off for simulation in the penalty area following a challenge involving Luke Shaw, leaving the home side to play a significant part of the match with a numerical disadvantage.
Despite being a man down, Newcastle held firm and made a decisive change late in the game when manager Eddie Howe introduced Osula in the 85th minute.
The Danish forward made an immediate impact, curling a fine effort past goalkeeper Senne Lammens five minutes later to secure all three points for the hosts.
Speaking after the match, Osula expressed delight at scoring the decisive goal and revealed that he had been working on similar finishing moves during training.
“I was so happy for that goal. It’s the best feeling ever. When I came on, I just prayed I was going to score and thank God it happened,” he said.
“I was working on cutting in and finishing yesterday in training, so I’m glad the hard work paid off.”
Osula, who was born in Denmark to a Danish mother and a Nigerian-French father, is eligible to represent three countries internationally.
Although he holds French and English passports, he has previously represented Denmark at youth level and received his first senior call-up last year before withdrawing due to injury.
The 22-year-old, who came through the Manchester United academy, often embraces his Nigerian roots and has been known to refer to himself as a “Naija boy,” occasionally speaking pidgin English.
Following his match-winning performance, a video surfaced online showing the striker preparing Ogbono soup, a popular Nigerian delicacy made from ground wild African mango seeds. In the clip, Osula was seen cooking the dish from scratch.
His teammate, Joe Willock, also confirmed the striker’s cooking skills, revealing that they once enjoyed a meal of pounded yam and ogbono soup together.
Watch video HERE
