Eddie Howe felt his side deserved a point at St James’ Park after Kevin De Bruyne inspired defeat.
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe felt his side deserved a ‘really good’ point against Manchester City after letting a 2-1 lead slip in the second half.
Newcastle went in at half-time leading after Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon cancelled out Bernardo Silva’s opener for the visitors. But the second-half introduction of Kevin De Bruyne ultimately swung the game in City’s favour with the Belgian equalising before setting up fellow substitute Oscar Bobb to make it 3-2 in stoppage time.
It’s a fourth straight defeat in the Premier League for The Magpies, who dropped to 10th in the table.
But Howe was focusing on the positives following the full-time whistle.
“I felt we did [deserve a point],” he told The Gazette. “I don’t think it would have been unjust if we had drawn that game. For everything we offered in the match, for everything that we gave.
“Even at the end after they scored I thought we were capable of nicking a goal to get a draw but it wasn’t to be.”
Newcastle made just one change in the match with Lewis Hall coming on for Anthony Gordon in the 86th minute, five minutes before Man City scored their winner. Ultimately it was a game won by Man City’s ability to change personnel while Howe’s options on the bench were limited.
“It was a really good first-half performance from us,” Howe admitted. “End-to-end, brave football. We probably ran out of gas in the second half.
“It looked like we had done enough for the point, with the way we defended you’d have backed us to see it out but we couldn’t do it in the end.
“We are limited from the bench at the moment. The lads gave a lot in the first half, we looked really good, we just probably couldn’t sustain it.
“That’s the quality they have, but you have to find a way. You just hoped we could see it out and get a really good point.
“The frustration from us you could see what we can be at times but we haven’t been able to put that together for the last month and it has cost us. You accept that but of course, we need some players back and to lift the group.”
