Eddie Howe makes ‘much better’ Newcastle United claim following 1-0 defeat at Man City

Julian Alvarez’s first-half strike proved to be the difference between the sides as Man City won a 15th consecutive Premier League match against Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium.

After beating Aston Villa 5-1 at St James’ Park last weekend, it was a slight reality check for The Magpies against the European champions.

“It was a tough game as we knew it would be,” Howe told TNT Sport. “They’re an elite team. We tried our best to execute our plan. We did better in the second half but when the moments came we weren’t clinical enough.”

Despite limiting Man City, it took Newcastle until the 70th minute to register their first shot on target in the match as Ederson saved Harvey Barnes’ strike from distance.

“The second-half showing was much better,” Howe added. “There were moments we looked good fitness-wise but technically we weren’t at our best.

“We really wanted to be ourselves but didn’t execute it properly.

“We are disappointed overall because we know we can be better than that. We are aware that we are against the best team in world football in my opinion so it was a real challenge for us.

“The main thing for me is that I wanted to see a team that reflected our values and our style of play. We saw that more in the second half than the first half but there is stuff for us to analyse and improve.”