When Newcastle United last met Bournemouth, in the Premier League, Sven Botman could not even get on the pitch. Eddie Howe even highlighted Dan Burn's 'leadership skills and experience' when the Magpies boss explained his decision to effectively drop the defender back in September.
However, 94 days on, the Dutchman was one of the first names on the team sheet against the same opposition - and with good reason following his display in the Magpies' last 16 win on Tuesday night. Botman made more interceptions than any other Newcastle player, including one crucial intervention to cut out Philip Billing's cross to Solanke late on. Botman also won two-thirds of his aerial duels and lost possession on just a couple of occasions. To put that final figure into perspective, late substitutes Chris Wood and Jonjo Shelvey, who admittedly play further forward, also lost the ball twice despite being on the field for a shorter period of time.
On the ball, six of Botman's seven long passes found a team-mate and a whopping 96% of the defender's passes were accurate, which was the best return of any starter on the field. These were not just Hollywood passes, either.
