Carroll was often compared to Newcastle's record goalscorer Alan Shearer, Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba and former Italy forward Christian Vieri because of similar style of play. He has been called a classic centre forward. This is because of his strength, powerful shot and header. Former Newcastle manager and Liverpool player Kevin Keegan stated "he is probably in the top three headers of a ball I have ever seen in football". After Newcastle's 2–0 victory at home to Blackpool in September 2010, in which Carroll scored the second goal and helped in creating the first, Blackpool manager Ian Holloway described Carroll as "the best striker in the Premier League".