Alexander Isak compared to Arsenal great Thierry Henry after starring in Newcastle rout of Spurs

Alexander Isak was the recipient of a lofty comparison after starring in Newcastle's rout of Tottenham, thanks to ex-Spurs forward Peter Crouch.

Isak’s opener in his side's 4-0 win saw the Swede send Micky van de Ven sprawling with his devastating cut inside, and then he outstripped the Dutchman for his second goal that effectively ended the contest.

It was Tottenham’s heaviest defeat since their last trip to Tyneside which ended 6-1 and featured another Isak brace, but that was in the midst of a more difficult campaign for the Swede as thigh problems saw him miss over 100 days for Newcastle.

However, he is now just two goals behind Erling Haaland in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot, while the victory saw Newcastle jump up to sixth in the table.

The brace means Isak draws level with Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the most goals scored by a Swede in a Premier League season, and he needs just one goal to beat his compatriot’s 2016-17 tally for Manchester United.

However, TNT Sports pundit Peter Crouch drew comparisons to a different legend in the form of Thierry Henry, highlighting both strikers' unerring confidence in front of goal.

Crouch said: “How many times did you see Thierry go through on goal and panic? It’s the same with Isak, if he goes through on a one-on-one you’re just always confident he’ll score.

“He’s someone I just love watching, so calm when he gets in those positions, obviously he cut Van de Ven up a few times today and he seems to just do the right decisions all the time, when he goes through one-on-one he’s so calm and just knows he’s going to score.

“Great feet and he just leads the line so well, it’s a difficult thing to do as a centre forward to lead the line on your own.”

Anthony Gordon, another Newcastle forward to star in the demolition of Ange Postecoglou's side, was moved to describe Isak as having world-class potential.

“It’s hard to describe, you don’t need me to tell you he’s so so gifted, he can be one of the best players in the world,” Gordon told TNT Sports.

“When he stays fit he’s so, so good to play with, the assist I got for him, I just passed him the ball and he sat a few players down so that was all him. What a player and more importantly what a person.”

It remains to be seen which Premier League places will result in qualification for which European competition - thanks in part to Newcastle’s UEFA Champions League exit at the group stage.

But while fifth-place Tottenham remain 10 points ahead of The Magpies, Eddie Howe’s side struck a blow in their battle with Manchester United and West Ham for the remaining European places.

This was also the first time Howe has been able to start Isak, Gordon and Harvey Barnes in his attack in an exciting sign of what could be to come.

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