Tonali bags brace of awards after Carabao Cup quarter-final heroics

United saw off the Bees at St. James' Park last month, with Tonali opening the scoring with a superb 20-yard drive - the goal which won him the Goal of the Round award - before the Italian's well-taken second put Eddie Howe's side within touching distance of a place in the last four.

Fabian Schär netted to make it three before Yoan Wissa's late consolation, with Tonali earning plaudits for his brace and an all-round assured, classy display in the middle of the park.

Dominic Solanke of Tottenham Hotspur, Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal and Liverpool's Harvey Elliott all lost out to Tonali in the public vote for the Player of the Round award, which ended on Boxing Day.

And the 24-year-old also saw off competition from Cameron Archer of Southampton, Eddie Nketiah of Crystal Palace, Solanke and Son Heung-min of Spurs and the Gunners' Jesus to triumph in the public vote for the Goal of the Round gong, which closed on Monday, 30th December.

"I am really proud to receive these awards. The Brentford game was a special night for me, and I was very happy to help the team reach the semi-final. The Carabao Cup is an important competition for us and we want to keep going in this direction," said Tonali.

"Scoring at St. James' Park for the first time in over a year was an amazing feeling and I would like to say thank you to the fans, my teammates and the gaffer for their support in helping me achieve this."

Tonali has been hugely impressive for the Magpies in recent weeks, starring in a deep-lying midfield role and helping United move up to fifth in the Premier League table - as well as set up a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal, the first leg of which kicks off at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night (kick-off 8pm GMT).