Eddie Howe spoke about the benefit of a European encounter against Benfica to bounce back from the weekend.
Newcastle United returned from the international break with a slow start at the Amex Stadium,, going 1-0 down to **Brighton**on the verge of half time thanks to a chipped Danny Welbeck goal.
The Toon responded with a well-worked move that Nick Woltemade creatively finished off with a backheel, but Welbeck would hit back with a second strike as the momentum was shifting away from the Seagulls. The search for a first Premier League triumph on the road goes on for Newcastle.
The team had a successful away day at the first attempt in Europe this campaign, beating Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 at the start of October. Now, they are back in front of their fans to face Benfica, and a tally of six points from three Champions League games will make for good reading.
“Similar to after Arsenal game, we feel like we need another game. We're delighted to play quickly and try and build momentum back in our performance. I felt reflecting the Brighton game was mixed. So, a lot of good ultimately doesn't matter. We lost the game and we know we need to improve.
“When we equalized felt like we're the team that was going to go on and win the game. We had the momentum. We had the territorial supremacy. We were aggressive and front foot in our in that moment in the game. We conceded from an attack really that we shouldn't have done in that moment.
“And of course with such little time then to give ourselves an opportunity to get an equalizer, we still had three or four opportunities that another day you'd bank us to take. So that was a painful end to the game and a painful defeat, but that's what you have another game around the corner for.”