Micah Richards believes Allan Saint-Maximin has improved his productivity in the final third after scoring an 'outstanding' equaliser against Wolves at Molineux on Sunday.
The Frenchman was expertly marshalled by Nelson Semedo throughout until a sliced clearance from Hwang Hee-Chan dropped invitingly for Saint-Maximin to unleash an unstoppable volley into the bottom corner in the 90th minute.
It was a magical moment that consolidated his man-of-the-match performance against Manchester City, during which he terrorised Kyle Walker and provided two assists.
While Richards raved excitedly about Saint-Maximin's strike, he also insisted that the Newcastle winger is beginning to answer his critics with his recent quality in the final third.
"I managed to see him live this season and he was on it," Richards revealed on Match of the Day 2. "A lot of people talk about his final ball or goals and assists - I want to see a lot more. But what about that for a finish!
"Technique, he had his head over the ball, watched it all the way to his foot. Outstanding effort. It was brilliant. I'm just glad he's doing well and getting the final part of his game together."
Saint-Maximin ended his longest run without a Premier League goal (18 games) and helped extend Newcastle's unbeaten start to the season.
Although Saint-Maximin has been a focal point for the Magpies in the final third, his record stands at 13 goals and 18 assists in 97 appearances across all competitions for Newcastle.
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