The Newcastle United dressing room message from Eddie Howe

Howe wanted his players to focus on themselves at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. The squad had had minimal time to prepare for the game, which followed a midweek win over Everton.

However, the main focus of his pre-match talk was United’s own gameplan, and not the threat posed by Tottenham, who had a 100% record at home. Newcastle won 2-1 thanks to goals from Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron.

Asked what his message had been to his players, Howe said: “If you go on to the pitch with fear, you’re almost beaten before it starts.

“So you have to go on to the pitch believing in yourself, your team-mates to execute what you need to win. Very much focusing on us, really, rather than too much on the opposition. I think there’s a delicate balance on how you present things to the players.”