Howe reveals what went wrong, VAR 'injustice' and Longstaff update after Arsenal defeat

Following our defeat to Arsenal, Eddie Howe reflected on a ‘frustrating’ game of 'missed chances', offered his opinion on the the VAR 'injustice' and gave an update on Sean Longstaff’s footy injury.

As Howe states, it was a game of ‘fine margins’ - on another day we could’ve come out on top after Murphy and Isak both hit the woodwork - but the boss remains ‘proud’ of his players and intent on staying positive ahead of next weekend's trip to Leeds.

We saw VAR overturn a penalty just seven minutes in and the 45-year-old believes it set a ‘negative’ tone for the rest of the match as the players looked to make up for the suggested ‘injustice’. 

Longstaff was a big miss for the Magpies, but Howe is ‘hopeful’ that there are no further complications to his injury. However, it is a concern that he'll see a specialist on Tuesday to determine the damage after he failed to train all week.

Here’s what Howe had to say, starting with his immediate reaction to the result and performance:

“A game that slipped by for us, but the players gave everything. Arsenal managed the game well - lots of breaks in play which was frustrating. We have to look at what we can control. The rest is the referee’s job. I’m proud of the players today.”

“Fine margins for us today and we just came out on the wrong side of them. We missed some big chances in the game and it just wasn't quite there for us. I am sure I will look back at some moments and rue some moments we didn't get quite right.

“At this stage of the season I have to be measured — we have no time for negativity. I’m proud of the players despite the result going against us. We were missing the x-factor today. We now need some results to get over the line.

“I thought we were good, without being at our very best. We opened them up and created chances but just didn't take them. It just seemed one of those days where we couldn't score." 

Howe on the penalty incident - “I've only seen it once, very quickly, from the side of the pitch. It probably affected us negatively - there was a feeling of injustice, whether right or wrong, that carried through to elements of our performance, which didn't help us."

Howe on Longstaff - "He wasn't close to playing - he hadn't trained this week. He's going to see a specialist on Tuesday and we hope there are no complications to his injury."

Howe on Arsenal’s time-wasting - “They managed the game well from their perspective. They slowed it down. Lots of breaks in play, frustrating for us.