Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe praised his side’s fortitude in their 2-1 Premier League victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday after withstanding waves of attacks in the second half to seal three points.
Newcastle scored twice in two minutes early in the first half to lead 2-0 at the break but Brighton were lifted by a Lewis Dunk goal in the second half which gave them confidence to pour forward and had several opportunities to equalise.
But as Newcastle were pegged deeper in their own half, the defence managed to keep Brighton at bay and held on to move up to 14th in the standings — seven points clear of the relegation zone.
“In terms of result, it’s absolutely fantastic for us. We said pre-game nothing has changed and that we are still in a relegation fight. We still are,” Howe told Sky Sports.
“I have a lot of respect for Brighton. They are a tough opponent. We knew we would be tactically tested.
“We showed mental toughness, especially at 2-1. When they scored, the game was very much in the balance but we handled it well. We defended well and put our bodies on the line and did the nasty stuff really well.”
After spending months in the relegation zone, an eight-match unbeaten run has lifted spirits at St James’ Park, where they have now won three in a row.
“To go any length of games unbeaten is good because you are only one match away from a difficult game. What we did have to do is defend really well and when it went 2-1 we did that,” Howe said.
“There has been some growth in the team. All I ask is the players give me everything. The fans knew the importance of the game and they helped us, the atmosphere was incredible.
“The only disappointing thing for me is we don’t have a game at home now for a few weeks.”
