2020 took another step into the unknown as Joelinton scored a goal as Newcastle United battered Sheffield United 3-0 in the Premier League.
The Brazilian striker has been a bit of a laughing stock since joining Newcastle last summer for a club record fee £40 million, and before Sunday had scored just once in 29 Premier League appearances.
Early on in the game against the Blades, Joelinton had a chance when he ran through on goal but messed up completely and just passed the ball back to the keeper.
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He was the butt of the jokes again when John Egan was sent off for pulling him back and Twitter exclaimed in one voice the defender should have let the forward through.
However in the 78th minute the former Hoffenheim forward had the last laugh as his goal made it 3-0 to Steve Bruce's side, tapping in from Miguel Almiron's cross.
Joelinton had last scored back in August, the winner against Spurs in a 1-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which was, as per Opta, 2130 minutes and 39 shots ago.
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The result was certainly a surprise, with Chris Wilder's side battling for Europe and having already had the chance to shake off the rust of not having played in so long, having already drawn with Aston Villa on Wednesday.
However the Magpies were the better side for the entire game and only failed to go ahead in the first half because of Joelinton's miss.
Egan's sending off, for his second yellow card, came just five minutes after the break, after holding back the Brazilian striker, and Allan St-Maximin made the Blades pay by opening the scoring in the 55th minute.
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Matt Ritchie's excellent strike made it 2-0 and Joelinton wrapped things up with 12 minutes to go.
Bruce's side are now in with a chance of finishing in the top 10 whilst Sheffield United must lick their wounds and improve against Manchester United on Wednesday to get their European dreams back on track.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Matt Ritchie, Football News, Steve Bruce, Football fans, Sheffield United, Premier League, Newcastle United
