Eddie Howe has been reflecting after PSG 1 Newcastle 1 in the Champions League.
United coming so close to getting the win their second half performance arguably deserved.
Newcastle United having to endure match officials who were as diabolical as the ones inflicted on NUFC when they last visited Paris in the Champions League.
Eddie Howe full of praise for his team and especially captain on the night and man of the match (and getting an assist, in his first game since a punctured lung and broken rib): “Dan Burn never ceases to amaze us. I thought he was top class and very, very good for us today. I’m delighted for him, he’s such an important power and presence for us in the dressing room. I think we’re showing [that we belong in the Champions League]. We have been pleased with what we’ve delivered. There’s a slight frustration we haven’t been able to get over the line in some games. But this is the real acid test for us, coming here against the holders of the competition. I thought we performed really well.”
PSG ran out of ideas in the second half.
It was Newcastle United who carried the real goal threat as they went for the victory that would have given them automatic progression to the last 16.
Eddie Howe looking back at the match: “We went all out to try and win the game. We chased it as much as we could without leaving us the possibility of losing. We tried everything we could to try to make the top eight. It’s such an unbelievable competition to be in and we never take it for granted. We want to appreciate it, and the work we’ve put into getting here we don’t want to throw it away. We do have a good squad. We made changes today that we needed to make. We might need to make some more for Liverpool because in no time at all we are back at Anfield.”
All six Premier League clubs finished in the top 12 of the Champions League table.
Eddie Howe asked about the strength of the Premier League in Europe: “It is not something I have thought too deeply about but the English teams have been strong. The Premier League is such a strong league, it can only make you better. The games we play week in week out are so tough.”
Four months after kicking off their Champions League campaign, Newcastle United finishing 12th and seeded in the play-off draw, so the advantage of a home match in the second leg against Monaco or Qarabag FK.
Eddie Howe asked if he would have settled for a play-off spot before a ball was kicked: “I probably would have done. I don’t know…We didn’t set out with that intention, we set out to try to qualify outright but I think you take every eventuality that falls your way. Now, we knew this would be our last game and it was going to be really tough if we were needing to win, and that was the position we found ourselves in. We gave everything we could to try to finish in the top eight, we didn’t quite get there, so we have to go another route.”
Two seasons ago, Newcastle United were the victims of an atrocious decision by the match officials which cheated them out of a deserved victory.
Arguably, Wednesday night was even worse, as the match officials did everything they could to help PSG, including a shocking penalty decision given to the home side, whilst refusing two or three United ones that were far more penalties than the PSG one.
Eddie Howe asked about the match officials: “You can debate the first decision, but if you think it’s a penalty….which obviously the officials did, then for me, the next one [a handball by Marquinhos] has to be a penalty as well. I don’t think the first one is, personally, I don’t think the one against Lewie should have been given. It hits their player’s arm first and it’s unintentional.”