Newcastle boss Eddie Howe happy to give in-form Alexander Isak freedom

Eddie Howe said Alexander Isak will be given the freedom he needs to keep up his remarkable goalscoring form after he struck twice in Newcastle’s 3-1 win away to Southampton.

The striker moved on to 15 for the season in the Premier League with two goals in the first half at St Mary’s to turn the game in his side’s favour after Jan Bednarek’s early header for Saints.

Sandro Tonali added a third after half-time, the 24-year-old rivalling Isak as the game’s outstanding player with a display full of invention and control.

It was an all-round excellent attacking performance as Newcastle made it seven league wins from eight, with Isak adding to his own remarkable record, scoring for the ninth match in 10.

“We try to get a balance between information and freedom,” said Howe of his management of the Sweden international. “I think he’s so creative naturally that putting too many restrictions on his game in terms of where he moves would be a negative.

“We give him a lot of structure on the out of possession, we certainly won’t be leaving that to chance, that’s a directive that he has to follow and he’s done it really well this year.

“But with the ball there is an element of freedom.”

For the third time in four league matches, Newcastle conceded the first goal, Bednarek’s 10th-minute header from James Bree’s cross offering brief optimism for home fans that their team might add to their meagre tally of six points.

“It was a moment that we needed to respond and dig deep, and we did,” said Howe. “I thought we played really well in that first half, we were excellent. A great response to conceding.”

Saints fans need not have raised their hopes. Isak levelled from the spot after a pitchside review determined Joe Aribo had fouled him