Alexander Isak fires clear two-word message after nailing Arsenal transfer audition

Alexander Isak has responded to Newcastle's 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first leg victory against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Either side of half time, Isak and Anthony Gordon were both on target to put the Magpies in complete control of the tie.

The Sweden international has now not scored in just one of Newcastle's last 10 games and, even before this purple patch of form, it is no surprise the Gunners had shown a keen interest in acquiring his services. On a night when lots of eyes would be on him, Isak put in a talismanic display.

For his goal, the 25-year-old finished expertly from close range after drifting towards the back post sensing an opportunity which arrived from the second ball of a deep free-kick. It was then his shot that was saved into the path of Gordon with the winger alert to tap home the rebound.

Regardless of his contributions in front of goal, his runs into the channel caused Arsenal lots of problems. During the first 45 minutes, he showed excellent footwork and pace to breeze past William Saliba as if he was not there before reaching the by-line and creating a decent chance for his side.

Thankfully for Arsenal, Isak was withdrawn by Eddie Howe in in the 65th minute with the visitors dropping much deeper - and playing the final half-an-hour without a recognised striker as a result. After the game, the Newcastle boss commented on the performance of his star man which also saw him reveal why he was subbed off.

Speaking after the game, Howe said: "First half he was electric, I thought he played really well. He scored but I just thought his general game was in a really good place.

"He was feeling his hamstring a bit at half-time - so we had to manage him in the second half - and that was a big blow to our performance." Given his scintillating form and the big fixtures still on the horizon for Newcastle, Howe will be hoping it is nothing serious.

Following that, Isak made comments of his own on another win for Newcastle. Posting to Instagram, alongside a number of action shots, he said: "First half [green tick emoji] #langesen."

The second leg at St. James' Park is not for another four weeks and therefore Arsenal's focus will be elsewhere for the next seven games before trying to overturn the deficit. The absence of a spark in front of goal was particularly noticeable with it likely the Gunners enter the market in search of a solution to their attacking woes.

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