“Unbelievable Moment! BBC Pundit ‘Breaks the Studio’ in Jaw-Dropping Reaction to Newcastle vs Arsenal
Shay Given has confessed to damaging the BBC’s Football Focus set while celebrating Alexander Isak’s winning goal against Arsenal.
The Gunners visited Newcastle on Saturday and quickly fell behind to Isak’s header. The Swedish striker evaded Arsenal defenders William Saliba and Gabriel to convert Anthony Gordon’s excellent first-time cross from the right.
The goal ignited jubilant celebrations among the home fans at St James’ Park, especially since Newcastle had not won in the Premier League since mid-September. Given, a former Newcastle player with over 450 appearances, showed his loyalty to the club with his enthusiastic reaction.
As a guest on the BBC’s Football Focus preview show, which was being filmed live during the match, Given watched Isak score on a studio screen. However, when the show returned, it was revealed that Given had celebrated a bit too enthusiastically—he admitted to kicking a table and breaking a light in the process.
Given commented, “I just kicked the table by mistake, so my apologies. Just cover it in my expenses. Why did I do that? Because Isak scored against Arsenal—brilliant cross from Anthony Gordon, Isak headed it into the top corner, 1-0 to the Toon. Howay!”
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was thrilled to see his team finally end their winless streak in the Premier League. He praised the players for delivering a strong performance against one of the title contenders.
“You need a strong mentality and the belief that results will change if you keep doing the right things,” Howe told Match of the Day. “It has been a tough week with the fixtures, but the players handled it well.”
He noted the positive atmosphere in training following the win over Chelsea, saying, “Today’s performance was built on hard work, desire, and solid defending in the second half. I thought we looked strong.”
Howe acknowledged that while it may not be Isak’s typical goal, he was pleased with the effort. “Anthony can deliver those crosses from his natural right side, and it was a fantastic ball. Given the few chances in the game, it was always going to take a moment like that.”
He added, “It required 95 minutes of concentration and consistency in our approach. We managed to control some very good players today. It’s three points, but it means a lot since we hadn’t won in the Premier League for a while. I’m sure it will boost our confidence.”
