Alan Shearer has picked Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka, Federico Fernandez, and Jonjo Shelvey in his Team of the Week after their 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
The former Magpies’ star picked the Newcastle trio after Steve Bruce’s side frustrated the champions all afternoon, with Shelvey scoring the equaliser to earn his side a point towards the end of the clash.
Shearer also included Dubravka and Fernandez after City failed to break down the Newcastle defence consistently on an afternoon where it took an unstoppable drive from Kevin De Bruyne to take the lead for a second time.
The Premier League posted Shearer’s side on their official Twitter account on Monday afternoon, with only one of Pep Guardiola’s side making the team after the game at St James’ Park.
OPINION
Many will have underestimated Bruce and his Newcastle side when they welcomed Manchester City to St James’ Park on Saturday. The Magpies could have folded when Guardiola’s men took to the lead, but they managed to stick in the game and continue to put pressure on the champions until they got their rewards both times. Conceding in the final 10 minutes could have been a real hammer blow to Newcastle, but they continued pushing and Shelvey’s long-range strike was fully deserved. Fernandez and Dubravka could have gone under-the-radar for their roles in the draw, but they were also superb in blunting City’s attack that is usually unstoppable and they deserve all of the credit they are receiving for the role they played in earning the point. Dubravka made the all-important stop in added time when the ball fell to Raheem Sterling, and the whole of St James’ Park erupted when the full-time whistle went in the North East.