Eddie Howe names Newcastle United player team is 'indebted' to after Chelsea win

Howe’s side beat Chelsea 1-0 last night thanks to a second-half goal from Joe Willock. Seconds before Willock’s strike, World Cup-bound goalkeeper Nick Pope – who had saved three penalties in the midweek Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace – had denied Conor Gallagher, his England team-mate.

And Howe told BBC Match of the Day: "We just edged it in terms of getting a goal. We're indebted to Nick Pope with his save, but Joe Willock produced a moment of magic for us.

"We needed to step up to try and win the game. I thought both defences played very well. Thankfully, Joe has come up with a great goal, but we were committed to everything today. The physical demands of that game were so high.”

Newcastle, only beaten once this season, are third in the Premier League – and seven points behind leaders Arsenal – ahead of the World Cup.

"I feel immense pride at how the players have performed consistently,” said Howe, who took over as head coach a year ago when the team was 19th in the Premier League.

"Now the challenge is to maintain and enhance that. We’ll focus on what we think we can improve as a team. Hopefully, the boys can come back from the World Cup in good spirits.

"I’ll enjoy maybe a few days off, but then the challenge is to come back and make sure we hit the ground running."