‘We have to’ - Sean Longstaff reveals what Newcastle United must do following Arsenal win

Longstaff retained his place in the starting lineup following their Carabao Cup win over Chelsea in midweek. Sandro Tonali was the man to drop out of the midfield that began the win over the Blues, with team captain Bruno Guimaraes restored to the starting lineup against the Gunners.

Playing on the right of a three, alongside Guimaraes and Joe Willock, Longstaff put in a tireless display against Mikel Arteta’s side and was one of Newcastle United’s star performers as they earned a deserved three points against Mikel Arteta’s side. That win was Newcastle’s first in the league since their triumph over Wolves in September, ending a run of five without victory with back-to-back defeats thrown into the mix.

Defeating Chelsea and Arsenal within a week has been a brilliant return for the Magpies after a difficult spell in the league, but Longstaff wants to ensure that the team don’t rest on their laurels after a positive few days.

“I think the only thing that breeds confidence is how you train every day, how you go about your work every day.” Longstaff said. “You're the only person that can give yourself confidence. If you could take a shot of it and drink it, I think it'd be the most expensive drink in the world. 

“So, yeah, like I said, I think the team, we always know it's there. I think it's the pressure and the pleasure of playing for Newcastle when you're winning, it's great. And when you have a couple of bad results, it's time to tear everything up and get a whole new group of players and staff in. 

“So I think for us, it's like you sort of stay very even. And like against Arsenal, we've won two games, but that doesn't mean now we're suddenly a great team again. We'll have to keep working and ultimately we'll get real awards because of that.”

Newcastle United ended the day just three points behind the Gunners in the Premier League table ahead of their trip to high flying Nottingham Forest next weekend.