Eddie Howe highlights ‘important’ thing Newcastle United did for the first time this season v Brentford

Callum Wilson’s second half penalty saw Newcastle pick up their first win since the opening day of the season while some solid defensive work saw Eddie Howe’s side keep only their second clean sheet in 16 Premier League matches.

After keeping 10 clean sheets in a row against Premier League opposition between November 2022 and January 2023, The Magpies registered just two clean sheets in the 24 games that followed before Saturday.

While Howe acknowledged it was only one game for his side, the Newcastle boss highlighted the importance of the clean sheet after a disappointing defensive display in the 3-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break.

“[The clean sheet] was really important and our defensive solidity has been a real strength but very quickly in football that can soon become a weakness if you allow it to,” Howe told The Gazette.

“We were really disappointed with our defensive display against Brighton but the players who stayed [during the international break] put in a lot of work into various aspects of our game.

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“I’m really pleased to see that solidity and resilience return to the team but it’s just one game and we’ve got to make sure that happens consistently.”

Newcastle were boosted by the return of Sven Botman to the starting line-up after the 23-year-old defender missed the Brighton trip due to an ankle injury.

United now prepare to face AC Milan in their Champions League group stage opener on Tuesday night (5:45pm kick-off).