Eddie Howe reflects after Newcastle United outclass Nottingham Forest

The Mag

·11 November 2024

Eddie Howe reflects after Newcastle United outclass Nottingham Forest

Eddie Howe has been reflecting on Sunday’s win.

After the previous game and victory over Arsenal. the Newcastle United Head Coach declared…

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“You have to have a really strong mentality and know results will turn, if you continue to do the right things.”

That Eddie Howe statement absolutely applied at the City Ground on Sunday.

Newcastle United the better team throughout the match and even though conceding that sucker-punch Forest goal and having a referee and VAR doing everything they could to thwart NUFC, Eddie Howe’s team just kept going and got ever better and more dominant as the match progressed.

Eddie Howe and his players very much deserving of a third win in a row.

If they can keep these levels up, who knows where they could end up in what looks a very open season.

Eddie Howe reflects on Nottingham Forest 1 Newcastle 3 and what went before:

“Hopefully they prove to be a significant three points for us.

“We desperately didn’t want to fall flat here.

“It is a tough ground and team to play and to come from behind as well… a really good day for us.

“I felt we were slightly inconsistent.

“I wasn’t that happy with our first-half performance.

“It was a bit slow and not direct enough, the passing a bit sideways.

“Credit to the players for the second half because that is everything we want to be.

“I thought we deserved to win.

“I wanted to see more energy, more sprinting and more direct duels.

“We were turning down opportunities to attack [in the first half] and that isn’t like us and it suited Nottingham Forest.

“It was difficult but we knew it would be.

“They are a difficult team to play against because they don’t concede many chances, you’re left fearing the worst when you go behind.

“We had work to do at half-time but credit to the players because the second half was up there with our best performances this season.

“Everything we didn’t do in the first half we did at the start of the second half.

“We were intense and direct with our attacking.

“We asked more questions.

“I’m really pleased with the second half.

“We need our attacking players to contribute goals and Alex [Isak] has done that in the past few weeks with massive moments, then Joelinton and Harvey Barnes pop up with moments too.

“We know that we have players who can make that difference and I’m really pleased with that side of our game.

“Harvey Barnes did what he does.

“He’s an outstanding player.

“Trying to find room for him in the team is something that I am conscious of.

“I’m really pleased that he got that goal and I thought it was a fantastic finish.

“Joelinton is like gold dust because wherever you put him you know he is going to do a good job.

“His attitude never changes in training.

“He’s playing in different positions so he has to do the training.

“I’m really pleased again with his performance.

“The Premier League is really, really tight this season and you need consistent victories and it can really elevate you.

“Everyone is searching for a formula that guarantees them victories.

“We’ve looked much more like ourselves in the past few games.

“I still feel there is more to come and we can improve… and we have got room to improve.

“We needed some momentum.

“We always say how quickly football can change, how your fortunes can turn.

“So three wins and there is a totally different feel about the team.

“I’m really pleased today because an away game going 1-0 down, to come back and win in the way that we did, I think is a big moment for us.

“We probably don’t want an international break at this moment in time but it is there and we have got an extended break as well, because we play on the Monday [25 November v West Ham], not the Saturday, when we come back.

“So players will go away.

“We go to Saudi Arabia.

“We come back but we try and keep the feeling that we have now.

“We know that we are in a good position and weare building our season but we have some key games to come.”

Nottingham Forest 1 Newcastle 3 – Sunday 10 November 2pm

(Stats via BBC Sport)

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Isak 54, Joelinton 72, Barnes 83

Forest:

Murillo 21

(Half-time stats in brackets)