Tottenham loanee Yusuf Akhamrich’s classy brace put Bristol Rovers on course for a vital 3-0 win over fellow relegation battlers Newport at the Memorial Stadium.
The Spurs academy graduate, making his home debut for the Pirates, looked head and shoulders above the rest in this tense Severnside Derby with high-quality first-half goals before Fabrizio Cavegn struck late on.
Akhamrich put Steve Evans’ side in control after 11 minutes in stunning fashion, unleashing a 25-yard left-footed shot that flew beyond the dive of Newport goalkeeper Jordan Wright.
The 20-year-old showed his class again when doubling the lead after 29 minutes as he brought down skipper Alfie Killgour’s punt forward on the right wing with an assured touch before advancing and tucking his shot past Wright.
Akhamrich went close to a hat-trick midway through the second half with another powerful long-range effort but this time Wright was a match for the attacking midfielder, pushing the shot away for a corner.
Newport manager Christian Fuchs urged his side forward only to be caught out on the counter-attack after 88 minutes that saw Swiss striker Cavegn who cut in from the right before thumping a shot past Wright effectively securing Evans a much-needed second win in nine outings.
