Ivan Toney remained defiantly on his feet yesterday as taking the knee returned to the Premier League.
The Brentford striker was the one player across the five top-flight matches who chose not to drop to his knee before yesterday’s kick-offs.
The gesture, which was dropped from being used before every match at the start of the season, returned as part of a No Room For Racism campaign during UK Black History Month.
Toney, though, grew disillusioned with the symbolic act last season, saying in February: ’Everyone agrees we have been taking the knee for however long now and still nothing has changed.
‘We are kind of being used as puppets.’
Premier League players will also take the knee next week, again at Boxing Day fixtures and before cup finals.
Taking the knee was first introduced following the death at the hands of police officers of George Floyd in the United States in 2020.
The 26-year-old scored his side's only goal in their visit to St James Park, as they suffered a 5-1 defeat to Newcastle.
Toney stepped up to the penalty spot in the 55th minute after a handball by Dan Burn. He brought the Bees within a one-goal deficit at the time, but the hosts went on to score three more.
Bruno Guimaraes got his second of the game before Miguel Almiron chipped in following a defensive error. An Ethan Pinnock own-goal in the dying moments wrapped up all three points for the Magpies.
