Journalist Lee Ryder has praised Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes after his brilliant displays in the club's most recent game.
What's the latest on Bruno Guimaraes and Newcastle?
The Magpies did their hopes of finishing inside the top four and qualifying for the Champions League a world of good on Sunday afternoon.
Indeed, they blew away rivals Tottenham Hotspur inside the first 21 minutes of the Premier League game, racing to a shock 5-0 lead at St James' Park.
Joelinton's strike was sandwiched between a Jacob Murphy double before Alexander Isak also grabbed a brace before halftime. While in the second half, Callum Wilson and Harry Kane got on the scoresheet to see things end 6-1.
While it was the sort of game where a number of Eddie Howe's men seemed to put in near-perfect performances, the club's Brazilian midfielder really caught the eye.
Indeed, when writing his player ratings for ChronicleLive, Ryder handed Guimaraes and 9/10 and dished out some high praise.
The journalist wrote: "Was sparkling in the middle. United's pass master with 67."
How good was Guimaraes vs Spurs?
When you look at his stats (via SofaScore), it's not hard to see why Guimaraes has been dubbed as the club's "pass master." Indeed, he finished the game with a 90 per cent passing accuracy (the best on the pitch). He also made four key passes (only bettered by Keiran Trippier's five) and completed the highest amount of long balls with nine out of 11 attempted.
What's more, Guimaraes was also great at winning the ball back as he managed two tackles and won six ground duels, while also being fouled three times.
Ryder wasn't alone in his praise for the £120k-p/w midfielder either. Indeed, in the player ratings for Shields Gazette, Dominic Scurr handed him an 8/10 and wrote: "Anchored Newcastle’s midfield nicely despite taking a slight knock. His composure in possession made a big difference in the first half."
With all that in mind, it's safe to say the Magpies look almost certain to finish in the top four with their Brazilian midfielder leading the charge. When quizzed on this after the game, however, manager Howe refused to admit as much.
He told BBC Sport: "It's not for me to say. I saw a very good team playing today, two actually. But there's a lot of games to go and a lot of points to play for."
