Eddie Howe made no excuses for Newcastle United's defeat at Aston Villa - admitting it was the Magpies' "worst" show of the season.
Howe left Villa Park having suffered his heaviest defeat of the campaign but United remain in the shake-up for the Champions League. The Newcastle boss was realistic after the loss and hopes his side will recover for the home game with Spurs next weekend.
He said: "I think it was probably our worst performance. We weren’t great today, and that’s hugely disappointing in such a big fixture. The lads have been so consistent throughout the season.
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"These things can happen. We now just need to focus on our response to today."
Reflecting more on the defeat, Howe said: "I’m just focusing on today’s performance. I thought, in all disciplines, we were slightly off our best and we got punished by a very good team.
"We’ll certainly analyse the game as thoroughly as we can, but then look forward because we have a massive game next weekend.
"It was unlike us in every aspect really. I thought we were wasteful with the ball, and definitely unlike ourselves out of possession. We weren’t as solid, tight and reliable as we have been. There’s a lot to analyse from my perspective."
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