Man Utd winner a 'brilliant moment' for 'unlucky' Osula

St James’ Park erupted in the 90th minute on Wednesday night as William Osula lashed a dramatic winner past Manchester United, sealing a priceless victory for Newcastle United and offering a moment of personal vindication for a player whose season has been stalled by misfortune.

The strike, whipped high beyond the keeper from the edge of the box, was the 21-year-old’s second Premier League goal of the campaign; his first came in August against Liverpool, also while the Magpies were down to ten men and also deep into stoppage time. On that occasion Newcastle still succumbed to a late concession, but this time Osula’s effort counted for three points that could resonate through the table.

BBC Radio Newcastle commentator Matthew Raisbeck, watching the same trajectory from the gantry, said the view was “perfect” to appreciate the technique. “You could see the whip—incredible technique,” Raisbeck told listeners. “Osula’s talked about practising that type of shot in training and that’s why you do that—practice makes permanent. Brilliant for him.”

The goal carried extra weight because Osula’s pathway has been anything but smooth. After opening his account against Liverpool, he was handed a first Premier League start that “didn’t really happen,” in Raisbeck’s words, and then a three-month ankle injury shelved him just as attacking opportunities were opening up. Nick Woltemade’s initial burst of goals had levelled off and Yoanne Wissa was regaining fitness, meaning a healthy Osula would almost certainly have featured heavily.

“I think he’s been unlucky this season,” Raisbeck added. “If he hadn’t missed so much football, Newcastle would have used him a lot more and he would have had a lot more opportunities—and I’m sure a lot more goals.”

Instead, Osula returned to the fold with a timely reminder of his predatory instinct, capping a frenetic evening against one of the league’s heavyweights and offering Newcastle a glimpse of what might have been—and what could still lie ahead—if fortune finally favours the forward.