Eddie Howe has vowed that Sunday's painful loss to arch-rivals Sunderland will not be allowed to dictate the narrative of their campaign.
"It is a dreadful sensation, it’s very painful," remarked the Magpies' head coach, whose inconsistent side were sunk by a freakish own goal from a header in the second period by Nick Woltemade.
The pain was intensified by witnessing the home squad taking a triumphant team photo on the pitch at the end. This act was seen as a riposte to a similar incident in January 2024, where the Magpies' squad had done the same after a 3-0 FA Cup win at the Stadium of Light.
The Manager's Analysis
"It was far from our best performance," conceded the manager. He also revealed that England international Dan Burn had been taken to hospital for X-rays on damaged ribs.
"It is tremendously disheartening, we are aware our display was not what it needed to be. But, no, I do not believe this result shapes our year. All is not lost from this match, it was a game of very few chances decided by an anomalous strike and we couldn’t create the openings we wanted. The commitment was present yet the quality was absent. We were disappointed with our creative output. We haven’t delivered. It’s difficult to take."
Sunderland's Triumph and Stance
The 1-0 scoreline left promoted Sunderland to seventh place in the standings, a full four points and five places above their regional rivals.
Sunderland's skipper, Granit Xhaka, proclaimed, "This squad merits much, much more respect," head coach Régis Le Bris wore the contented look of a tactician whose gameplan succeeded.
"I feel immense pride and joy," stated Sunderland’s manager. "This victory is fully merited. The lads were incredible. We were mature and composed amidst the tension. At times we were perhaps overly patient. Our possession play was strong though the issue was being more clinical in the final third. A second goal was there for the taking yet we executed the plan and, it became straightforward to see the game out with a one-goal lead to be fair. We maintained solid control."
He added, "We operated under the expectation of winning. Our aim is now to sustain this superiority. It’s fragile yet extremely positive for this region and for our fans."
And the now-famous team photo? "It was imaginative," said Le Bris, smiling.
