Newcastle set up a last-four meeting with Arsenal thanks to a first-half double from Sandro Tonali, who was scoring his first domestic goals since the opening day of last season, and a second-half finish from Fabian Schar.
In the last couple of seasons, the Magpies have scored goals from a variety of different positions, but prior to Wednesday, Isak had been shouldering the bulk of the goalscoring burden, having scored in six of the previous eight league games.
The Swede remains as hugely important figure, with his significance only enhanced by Callum Wilson’s latest injury setback, but ahead of this afternoon’s game at Ipswich Town, Howe is keen to see his side sharing the goals around.
“That’s really important,” said the Magpies head coach. “When you look at our midfield, there’s not necessarily the expectation on the six to be honest for goals, but more from the eights who are consistently in the box. They have to create and score goals, so there is a bigger onus on them really to score and produce assists.
“It’s been an area where we haven’t been at our fluent best this season in terms of those numbers, so it was great to see a midfielder contribute. Sandro scored two, one from a set-play and one a long-range strike, and they are so important to us those moments because they are almost bonus goals, that’s how I view it.
“We need those players contributing. It was good to see again, albeit again from a second phase set-play, Bruno (Guimaraes) get an assist and a goal from a centre-half in Fabby (Schar). Goals from everywhere is what we encourage.”
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Schar’s goal was his fourth of the season in all competitions, and the centre-half also finished last season as the joint second-highest scoring defender in the Premier League behind Tottenham’s Cristian Romero.
The Swiss international is a huge threat from both set-pieces and in open play, and his fellow centre-half, Dan Burn, is keen to start following in his footsteps. For all that he towers above most opponents, Burn’s last goal came in the FA Cup fourth-round win at Fulham back in January.
“I remember one season I scored five, and then the next season I set a target of ten and I got one,” said Howe, who also played at the back. “So maybe target setting isn’t the best the idea.
“I know that the centre-halves take that side of the game seriously and that Dan Burn, obviously a huge presence for us in both boxes, wants to score more.
“The centre-backs regularly work on different aspects of their game in terms of goalscoring because set-plays are so important and we’ve done well in that respect over recent weeks.
“But I don’t know whether focusing too much on that target is a wise thing, I think that it’s more the practice and repetition, getting that right, and then they will score more goals.”
Newcastle head to Portman Road this afternoon on the back of back-to-back victories over Leicester and Brentford, and while the league defeat to the Bees that preceded those wins was a major step backwards, Howe can nevertheless sense the confidence returning to his side.
“We’re human beings and I think there has been, at times in certain games, confidence issues,” he said. “But I think you’ve seen a really good feeling within the team in the last two performances.
“I’d probably say three out of the last four have been really strong, as strong as we’ve seen this season. Hopefully, that’s a good sign. I think we’re scoring goals again, which is such a confidence builder.”
Newcastle (probable, 4-3-3): Dubravka; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock; Murphy, Isak, Gordon.