Kieran Trippier says he tried a few mind games to help Newcastle United capitalise on their late penalty opportunity against Nottingham Forest.
The Reds saw a nine-match unbeaten run at home in the league come to an end on Friday night as they suffered late heartbreak. After Emmanuel Dennis had opened the scoring, an Alexander Isak brace clinched three points for the visitors.
The winner was a kick in the gut for Forest, coming right at the death following a handball by Moussa Niakhate. Trippier picked up the ball, making it look as though he was about to take the spot-kick, only to hand it to his teammate.
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Isak duly converted to condemn the hosts to a 2-1 defeat in a run of six games without a win. Nevertheless, Trippier says the Magpies had to work hard to beat Steve Cooper’s side on their own turf.
“Teams can put you off, get in your face,” he told ChronicleLive. "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.
"Little details like that can help and be massive. He's put it away in style.
"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. We had to run ourselves into the ground and just keep going and just keep believing, which we did to the end."
Isak has said Reds goalkeeper Keylor Navas sussed out Tripper’s ploy. He told Sky Sports: “Sometimes you might fool the opposition but the goalie kind of knew I was going to take it. He came straight to me and tried to get in my head.”
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