Eddie Howe has been heartened by Newcastle United's 'really good mentality' after the Magpies closed out yet another game to pull clear of danger.
Newcastle have won three Premier League fixtures in a row for the first time since 2018 following a 1-0 victory against Aston Villa at St James' Park.
Newcastle have thrown away a whopping 21 points from winning positions this season but, tellingly, Howe's side have managed to get over the line in their last three games against Leeds, Everton and Aston Villa.
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As well as playing with renewed confidence and belief, Newcastle have been a little more streetwise in the closing stages in recent weeks, which is something the coaching staff have worked on at the training ground.
For instance, after coming on in the 92nd minute, substitute Bruno Guimaraes smartly won a free-kick in his own half to help slow Villa down deep into stoppage time.
Guimaraes would have loved to have started the game, and looked a little frustrated at one point as he warmed up, but the Brazil international was desperate to help his side during his latest cameo and he certainly did so in the closing stages.
Although Ollie Watkins previously had an equaliser chalked off by VAR earlier in the game, Newcastle ultimately managed to hold on - much to Howe's delight.
"We were probably in survival mode a lot earlier than I wanted to be, but I don't think there was another option in the game," Howe told reporters on Zoom.
"I thought Aston Villa played well in the second half. They kept possession of the ball well. They asked questions mainly in front of us and that was the key thing. The back four, the midfield five and Chris [Wood] attached just closed the spaces on them really well.
"From a defensive perspective, in not conceding that lead, I wouldn't say we've fixed any problem but we're working towards getting better at it and hopefully that will continue. I thought there was a really good mentality about the team."
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