Former Chelsea star Nevin praises Atsu

Newcastle United may have lost to Hull City in the League Cup on Tuesday but winger Christian Atsu apparently left quite an impression on former Chelsea and Scotland midfielder Pat Nevin.

The Magpies fell 3-1 on penalties following a 1-1 stalemate after extra time, effectively denying them a place in the last four.

Having come on in the 81st minute, Atsu was lively down the wings and capped his outing with his side's only successful penalty.

"Atsu was again like lightning down the left, and [was] destroying James Weir with his pace," Nevin told the BBC.

"If a player has that much pace, there really is nothing you can do.

"Newcastle were the better side, they had so many opportunities and they have blown it.

"It is almost the nightmare scenario for [Newcastle manager] Rafael Benitez, as they were taking this cup very seriously.

"But this is a decent team that is growing and getting better."

Atsu has netted twice in 10 league appearances since completing a season-long loan from Chelsea in August.

The 24-year-old, who has also played for Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem and Portuguese outfits Porto and Rio Ave, failed to make a single league appearance for Bournemouth over half-a-season before heading for Spanish club Malaga in January.

The Ghanaian is expected to be in action when his club face Nottingham Forest in the English Championship on Friday.