Eddie Howe had his say on a 3-1 loss for Newcastle United against Man City.
The Toon were defeated 2-0 and 3-1 by City across two legs as they bowed out of the Carabao Cup semi-final in February. Weeks later, they were then beaten 2-1 by the Citizens in the Premier League, and this fixture marks their fourth defeat across five clashes between the two teams this campaign.
Omar Marmoush and **Savinho**turned around the tie for the guests as Newcastle could not sustain the aggression from their first half performance. Silverware is unlikely to be coming to Tyneside this season, but the group must dust themselves down for the big occasion of a reunion with Barcelona.
"That was a tough learning lesson for us in that second half. We just didn't have the strength to make a dent in them. Good start from us, really good for half an hour. There's probably two things that happened. We couldn't sustain our start in terms of energy but they also played really well. We just have to accept that.
"I felt we maybe ran out of gas, certainly in the second half but also towards the end of the first half. You have to say they were a very good side. We needed the ball to try and generate pressure but we couldn't get enough of it.
"The way they play and how good they are technically, they took a stranglehold of the ball. When we got it back, we gave it away too easily, maybe looking too vertical and not horizontal enough at times.
“As soon as you make a technical mistake, you're not seeing the ball for long periods and then your energy just drains away. That's why they have been the best team for so long."
*"The crowd were magnificent today. They didn't have a lot to shout about after that initial period but they stayed with us and were cheering at the end. We will need them for the Champions League."*