Newcastle United fans have hailed Kieran Tripper after the Magpies star proved he is the master of ‘sh**housery’ versus Nottingham Forest on Friday night.
The two teams are at opposite ends of the Premier League table, but both were desperate for points and the match seemed to be heading for a stalemate until the death.
Emmanuel Dennis had given Forest the lead, courtesy of a fine strike, before Alexander Isak equalised with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-esque finish of his own.
With the score locked at 1-1 in stoppage time, Newcastle were awarded a late penalty and Trippier appeared to be the man tasked with winning the game for the away side.
At least, that’s what the Forest players thought anyway.
It turns out, Trippier managed to fool everyone inside the City ground and it ended up helping his side win the game.
After the referee pointed to the spot, the England star picked up the ball and looked as though he would be the one tasked with the responsibility of taking the penalty.
Tripper was immediately swarmed by Forest players, including goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who tried their best to distract the full-back and put him off.
Even the commentators were convinced that it was the defender who was taking the spot-kick, only for Trippier to fool everyone right at the last second.
Just as the referee looked set to blow his whistle, the 32-year-old turned and handed the ball to Isak, who made no mistake in burying the penalty.
Trippier’s face was an absolute picture – he knew what he’d just done and it’s safe to say Newcastle fans absolutely loved it.
Check out a clip of the incident below:
VIDEO: Kieran Trippier’s penalty tactic vs Nottingham Forest
A picture of Trippier’s face after mugging off the Forest team has been shared widely on social media and supporters from the Toon Army can’t get enough of it.
“The face of Trippier knowing he’s absolutely s**t-housing before that penalty. Love that. Our captain,” said one.
“Trippier even made Sky put up his most recent penalty stats,” joked another.
A third added: “Trippier pretending to be the penalty taker is a brilliant tactic! Having the defenders in his ear trying to put him off for him to pass the ball to Isak is genius.”
Isak’s late winner could prove to be huge in the context of the race for Champions League football.
The Magpies are now just one point behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place and have a game in hand on Antonio Conte’s side.
Next up for Howe’s team is a huge game against Manchester United on 2nd April.
