Howe reacts to 5-1 win at West Ham - Talks goals, high standards and top-four hopes
Eddie Howe has hailed Newcastle's ruthless streak in the final third following our 5-1 win at West Ham on Wednesday night.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, the Toon boss admitted that we weren't at our best - feeling we were 'sloppy' in the first half - but praised our spirit, 'determination to win' and quality in the final third as we scored five away from home for the first time since 1998.
Howe feels we'll come out of this one an "even stronger team" after finally delivering a five-star display in front of goal, with our biggest criticism since the turn of the year being our inability to convert big chances.
He also spoke highly of Wilson, who bagged a brace on his return to the starting XI and the fact he was able to bring on quality from the bench with 30 minutes remaining, seeing Isak, Gordon and Willock all make an impact against West Ham's tiring legs.
Asked about our Champions League hopes, he refused to get carried away, insisting he and his team won't look past Saturday's trip to Brentford after we went three clear of Spurs with a game in hand, seven above Brighton and TEN ahead of Liverpool.
Here's what he had to say, followed by video snippets of his post-match interview:
"Difficult game. I thought after the high of Sunday, this would be a tough test psychologically. We weren't at our best, but we were clinical. We haven’t been like that for a while. So it was great to see us score goals. The scoreline looks comfortable, but it was a tight game.
"We set such high standards. We were a little sloppy at times in our build-up phase, especially in the first half. We were better in the second half. But delighted with the spirit and determination to win, even when we weren't at our fluent best against a good side.
"It's great to see (us being ruthless) because it's something we haven't been. So to add that to our game, we'll be an even stronger team.
"Really pleased with the goals, really pleased with the goalscorers - we shared them around - it's a great day for us."
Howe then added this when asked about our ever-increasing Champions League hopes:
"We just keep pushing to win the next game. It's another really tough game - Brentford away is a notoriously tough place to go and win, so we're focused on Brentford now.
