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20th Nov 2016

Newcastle hero Dwight Gayle was ‘punched unconscious’ days before Leeds win

“He hit him hard and, as Dwight went down, hit him again. He was out cold.”

Tom Victor

Dwight Gayle wasn’t going to let a few lost teeth stop him from continuing his goalscoring run for Championship leaders Newcastle United.

The former Crystal Palace frontman scored both goals in a 2-0 win away at Leeds United, but had reportedly been a doubt after an off-field incident not long before the game.

According to The Sun, Gayle was ‘punched unconscious’ on a night out, losing four teeth as a consequence.

A source told the paper that the forward was ‘really angry’ after the incident, which occurred when he was out celebrating teammate Jamaal Lascelles’ birthday.

“One lad took exception to Dwight talking about his pay and took a swing at him. It was a real shock,” the source said.

“He hit him hard and, as Dwight went down, hit him again. He was out cold.”

GettyImages-594393090Gayle is Newcastle’s leading scorer this season (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Gayle opened the scoring at Elland Road after a mistake from home goalkeeper Rob Green, and doubled his team’s advantage in the second half.

He now has 13 league goals for the Magpies, three more than any other player in the division and more than he has scored in any one season since 2012/13.

Newcastle are five points clear at the top of the league following their eighth successive victory, and host 22nd-place Blackburn Rovers in their next game before travelling to Hull for their EFL Cup quarter-final.

The club have not commented about the alleged incident involving the £10m striker.

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