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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has heaped praise on his players following the Magpies’ 2-0 win over a poor Manchester United outfit on a super Sunday for the hosts at St. James’ Park.
In a game that was billed as a significant fixture between two of the Premier League’s prime contenders for a top-four finish, Newcastle were the dominant force and clocked an xG of more than 3.5 on their way to a convincing triumph.
Second half strikes from Joe Willock and substitute Callum Wilson earned Newcastle a thoroughly merited three points after a stunning performance and the Magpies promptly leapfrogged Man Utd into third place in the table at full time.
Win ‘really good feeling” says Howe
In the aftermath of Newcastle’s superb win and performance, Howe was suitably impressed saying:
“Really good feeling. I thought we fully deserved the win. Really good performance from the team.
“I felt we prepared really well. What I mean by that is how well the players have trained during the international break, been really pleased with what they’ve delivered.
“When you see that behind the scenes you hope for a performance that matches what the players have given and I thought we got that today.
“We had to be patient, we created a number of chances we didn’t take but delighted with the two we did get.
There were murmurings after full time that suggested Newcastle had exacted some revenge for their Carabao Cup Final defeat to the Red Devils, however Howe was quick to dismiss any notions of payback.
“It wasn’t on our mind today. It was about winning the game that we needed to win in the league.”
Howe responds to ten Hag’s jibe
In the post-match media scrum, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was also quizzed about Erik ten Hag’s comments concerning the Magpies’ reputation for time-wasting and the 45-year-old’s response was typically forceful.
“I’m pleased you brought that up actually because I want to make something very clear: we want the ball in play,” Howe said.
“We play a quick game. I don’t get where this time-wasting nonsense has come from because it’s not us.
“And you saw today we wanted the ball back in play as quickly as possible. High energy, high tempo, ball in play.”
Eddie Howe’s blueprint for Sunday worked brilliantly and Manchester Untied couldn’t live with the intensity of Newcastle’s play. The Red Devils have lost just twice in 17 fixtures in all competitions, however, their league form seems to be following a downward trajectory.
Erik ten Hag’s troops have dropped points in six of their last nine top tier tussles, allowing Newcastle to rein them in and overtake them in the race to secure Champions League football for next season.
Next up for Newcastle is a trip to play West Ham and their visit to London kicks off a sequence of four away matches in five Premier League fixtures, with their solitary home game during that period coming at home to Tottenham Hotspur on April 23rd.
Man Utd have back-to-back home games against Brentford (Wednesday) and Everton (Saturday) on the horizon as they attempt to find their footing.
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