Eddie Howe watched from the sidelines as his Newcastle United team lost to Manchester City.
Losing at the Etihad is nothing new.
However, Newcastle United played very well and came close to the point they deserved.
Among the factors that contributed to the final result, it was difficult not to feel sad that United were given such a raw deal by the match officials.
Apparently the level does not come close to the joke that Aston Villa made last weekend in the FA Cup.
However, a large number of decisions do not go Newcastle United’s way at the Etihad.
Eddie Howe asked about another poor performance by match officials: “I don’t think we were on the right side with the decisions today, but I don’t want to go down that path. I’m not one of those managers who constantly wants to criticize officials, but again I thought we probably didn’t make the right decision.”
Newcastle United lost 2-1, but very little in the match as NUFC gave as good as they could.
Eddie Howe liked much of what he saw, especially with such a busy schedule and while Manchester City had a full week to prepare (and brought back nine first-choice players), Newcastle started with ten of the players who played in Azerbaijan on Wednesday night.
The United boss: “Given everything we’ve done in recent weeks, that was a good performance, but not good enough [in the end to get the three points] but we hung out with them. We were equal in the match, we were in a good position. I didn’t defend the two goals well enough, that’s actually the disappointment. The belief was there until the end, with Harvey Barnes firing to the end, which was a good save. You never quite know how the game is going to go, but it’s important that you start well and the last few times we’ve been here we’ve conceded early.”
The way Eddie Howe fielded his team and the way Newcastle United’s players implemented the Head Coach’s plan made life difficult for Pep Guardiola and his team.
Eddie Howe comments: “Physically a good performance, because they have been tough games. I want the players to be empty and give everything in the hunt for victory. I thought we played with a good plan. The two goals that we did not defend well enough, two mistakes. But I am satisfied with the effort.”
It was three away wins in a row in three different competitions, with United in great form.
Although they played well again, the fact is that the defeat against the Etihad leaves Newcastle mid-table and the Champions League some distance away.
Eddie Howe admits: “The ranking is not what we wanted. Partly it is not based on tonight. We are going in the right direction, that is the most important thing because it means we are doing well in the long term. We are trying to win every game, not to think too much about games. We don’t want to lose the momentum. The feeling was strong, the solidarity is strong, you could see that in the second half. Overall the players are all out there and doing the best for this football club.”
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