
Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe has said he was delighted to see his team back to their best in an impressive 3-1 win against high-flying Aston Villa.
Recall that Newcastle lost four straight Premier League fixtures prior to their winter break but roared back to form in style by inflicting a first home loss of the season to Aston Villa.
A first-half double from defender Fabian Schaar was followed by an Alex Moreno own goal after the break, with Ollie Watkins’ first goal in six outings. The result left Howe both encouraged and frustrated given his side remains 11 points behind fourth-placed Villa despite their success.
He said: “It was mixed emotions for me because that team is an elite team. Our game plan was to be aggressive and stop their rhythm. We did that well in the first half.
“The mixed part is that we haven’t seen that for a number of weeks. We looked much like ourselves and we have players coming back now.
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“They play a high line and we used that well. We had to adjust our plan when they got the goal but the players saw it out well.
“When you’re coaching a team, you want them to play how you see the game. That has been there but it’s been frustrating.
“Today I saw the team and the identity we’re looking for.”
The one negative of the evening for Newcastle was the sight of key forward Alexander Isak limping off injured in the first half.
Howe said: “We don’t really know. It looks like a slight groin injury. Hopefully, we get him back sooner rather than later.
“We know every game is so tough in the Premier League and we will look to use this game to push on now. The only disappointment today is [the injury to] Alex.”