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- United were victorious in North London on Sunday, seeing off Tottenham Hotspur 2-1
LONDON: Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has played down talk of the Magpies making the Premier League top four and securing Champions League football next season.
United were victorious in North London on Sunday, seeing off Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 thanks to goals from Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron. Harry Kane got a consolation for Spurs.
Howe has reacted to news the Magpies reached into the top flight top four with three points.
When asked about the Magpies’ top four chances, head coach Howe said: “I don’t know. All we can do is continue to give everything for success.
“The players are in a really good place. The scenes in the dressing room were really good and it was great to see the happiness and togetherness in the group. We’ll just continue to give our all in every game.
“It was a big win. We were determined to come here and be positive. Great display from us. We deserved the win.
“My players deserve all the credit for how we attack the game. We executed the game plan really well. It wasn’t without problems; they have world-class players.
“They had a few long-range shots and dangerous counter-attacks early on.
“But once we solved that, we were OK.”
When asked whether he will celebrate the win, former Bournemouth boss Howe said: “I’ll be watching the game back and preparing for Aston Villa. It’s not the glamorous answer maybe everyone wants but that’s fine; that’s what I need to do. I want my players to enjoy the win tonight. We’ve got massive games to come and keep this feeling. Let the players enjoy it.”
Almiron netted his sixth goal of the Premier League season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, beating his previous top-flight best for the season.
“Miggy (Almiron) has always been a fantastic player,” said Howe of the player who has received mixed reviews since arriving from Atlanta United under previous boss Rafa Benitez.
“He’s just adding goals to his game.
“When he’s in front of the goal, you think he’s going to score. His performance today was excellent.”
Meanwhile, Spurs’ boss Antonio Conte rued the chances his side missed in the encounter — and was disappointed with his XI’s defending.
“Before [Callum Wilson’s first goal] we created many chances to score. Maybe if we had better finishing, we could score. Then this situation happened. I don’t want to comment on the referee’s decision. I don’t want to comment.
“Not so good. We conceded a goal from a long ball. In our best moment, Newcastle scored their first goal. Their second goal came from a counter-attack. Then it was really difficult to come back.
“We tried. We scored one goal. We didn’t do good enough.
“We are doing our best in every moment. Today, the commitment was really high. We have to face a difficult situation. When you don’t have three or four players in the squad, you’re in trouble.
“We have to manage this situation very well and overcome it together.
“When you play every three days, you need to have a deep, strong squad. We have only just started our process. We are playing in the Champions League. We’re trying to improve our situation step by step. You need time and patience. I want to be honest. In my experience, we are doing well but we need time and patience.”