Two years to the day since Eddie Howe agreed to take charge of Newcastle, his team recorded a statement result and exhibited some of the transformative strides they have made since he breathed life back into this club.
A frenetic game centred on an obvious flashpoint – Anthony Gordon’s controversial strike being allowed to stand following an unprecedented triple VAR check – and by the end it was a case of coming up for air after Newcastle abruptly ended Arsenal’s unbeaten start in the Premier League. At full time banners in opposite corners of St James’ Park’s East Stand were hidden by home fans basking in a victory to cap a fine week. “We’re not here to be popular, we’re here to compete,” read one, the other simply: “Eddie Howe’s black and white army.”
The sight of Joelinton wildly celebrating a slide tackle on Declan Rice deep into eight minutes of stoppage time epitomised this Newcastle team. The sound of the subsequent roar from the home fans was comparable with the noise at the final whistle seconds later. It is hard to believe that two and a half years ago, prior to Howe’s arrival, this fixture – played behind closed doors – was a 2-0 Arsenal win that left Newcastle fourth from bottom.
Sean Longstaff, Miguel Almirón and Callum Wilson started that afternoon and began here. These days Arsenal are direct rivals, which explains why Howe could not ignore the suggestion that this felt like a defining match given the ground they were able to gain in terms of condensing the picture towards the top. Newcastle have now won four straight home games without conceding a single goal for the first time since April 2012.
This week a fanatical 40-year- old supporter stayed true to his word to get a tattoo of a team photo of the Newcastle squad if they overcame Manchester United in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford in midweek. Howe has taken and adapted the aggressive style he had so much joy with across two spells at Bournemouth to Newcastle – typified by Bruno Guimarães, Longstaff and Joelinton here – and also made another idea stick. After every victory the entire Newcastle squad convene in the dressing room for a celebratory photo, Howe usually concealed behind backroom staff such as analysts and kit men. This win provided another snapshot for Newcastle’s in-house gallery.
“A venue with a competitive edge,” read an advert on loop on the big screen in the Leazes Stand, selling this stadium as the perfect destination for meetings, conferences and exhibitions. A game teeming with terse exchanges and frayed tempers lived up to the billing.
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The only goal was, of course, highly controversial but equally embodied Newcastle under Howe. It was anything but liquid football yet the way Joelinton rampaged to create his own luck and free the substitute Jacob Murphy was typical of the relentlessness Howe craves. Murphy pulled a shot wide and then another substitute, Joe Willock against his former club, was game enough to keep the ball in play; most would have deemed it a lost cause but Willock’s appetite led him to cling on to the left corner flag, a kind of pole dance, in a bid to retrieve the ball. His cross caused David Raya to flap and Gordon tucked home after Joelinton crashed into Gabriel Magalhães inside the box. There was a reason Mikel Arteta this week talked up the atmosphere and the job Howe has done, acknowledged this ground is one of the toughest trips in the calendar.
It is fair to say Arteta was incensed by the officials’ decision to allow the 63rd-minute goal, labelling it “an absolute disgrace” afterwards. At the time of the VAR checks the stadium announcer was the busiest person in the ground. “VAR check, possible ball out of play,” then it was “VAR check, possible foul”. The third, seconds later, veered into the farcical. “VAR check, possible offside,” the announcer said. All the while Graham Scott, the fourth official, held an index finger to his right ear. “With every check that was going through, you’re thinking they’re probably going to find something [wrong] with it,” Howe said.
The scene as Newcastle’s players and staff, still fighting on four fronts, embarked on a victory lap after the final whistle amid an apt backdrop of Primal Scream’s Movin’ on Up was captivating. Howe clenched his fists as he looked towards the directors’ box, where Gareth Southgate was among the guests. “Newcastle’s next game is against Borussia Dortmund in Germany,” the stadium announcer said as the home support applauded their heroes. These are rather heady days on Tyneside.
