Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe says his club’s 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the UEFA Champions League was an important response to the shock 3-1 loss his side suffered at the hands of West Ham in the English Premier League this past weekend.
Newcastle were heavily tipped to beat the lowly ranked London club in the league but ended up on the losing side. However, the Magpies marked a big turnaround in fortune by beating the Spanish side in Europe’s premier competition.
Dan Burn and Joelinton scored headed goals in the 11th and 49th minute respectively to give Eddie Howe the win and an important response as he described in a post-game interview with TNT Sports.
“Really pleased with today. It was an important response to West Ham. We had a quick turnaround for this game. I don’t think it was us at our best but we’re in a good position now in this competition.”
Eddie Howe, Manager of Newcastle United, applauds the fans (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
“We learn a lot. This format is really good, more games but it’s a bigger test when you return to the Premier League. It’s been good to have a game off the back of West Ham, we’ve put that away and we scored two goals.”
Dan Burn of Newcastle United scores his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Newcastle United FC and Athletic Club (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Athletic Bilbao played without injured playmakers Inaki Williams and Nico Williams.
Brothers Nico Williams and Inaki Williams of Athletic Bilbao during UEFA Europa League 2024/25 (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
