Relief for Eddie Howe as Newcastle United beat Sunderland in FA Cup

LONDON – Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe was a relieved man as his team defeated Championship side Sunderland 3-0 in the FA Cup third round on Jan 6.

The Magpies headed into the Tyne-Wear derby at the Stadium of Light having lost seven of their past eight games and their most recent four in all competitions.

The dire run has led to speculation that Howe’s future as head coach at the Saudi Arabia-owned club could be uncertain after just two years in the post.

But this latest convincing victory would have eased some pressure on Howe, at least for now. “It feels great (to win), I never worried about the draw, it was a great draw – as long as we won it,” he said.

While the north-east rivalry might lack the glamour of the Manchester and north London derbies, there is no questioning the animosity between clubs just 23km apart.

Howe said: “We were brave with the ball and very composed. We didn’t let the crowd take over and we handled everything really well in the first half.

“We are still a bit off our best but it was a step in the right direction, hopefully the momentum can continue. We had to do the little bits right today and that’s what happened. It keeps us in an important competition.”

The FA Cup could be Newcastle’s only chance of silverware this season. The Magpies, who finished fourth in the English Premier League last campaign, are struggling in ninth spot.

They are already out of the Champions League and the League Cup, but Howe had said he still had backing from the club.

“I certainly don’t need daily reassurances,” he said before the Sunderland match.

“I feel comfortable in the fact that we are working as hard as we can to improve performances and improve results.”

All that aside, the focus on Jan 6 for the Magpies boss was simply the FA Cup – the competition in which they won their last domestic trophy, all the way back in 1955.

The clash against Sunderland was the first match between the two inter-city rivals since a 1-1 draw in the Premier League at St James’ Park in 2016.

Newcastle were the team who started strongly, as Sean Longstaff attempted to head home in the third minute. But his effort made it only to the gloves of Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.

As expected, Howe’s side dominated early as they aimed to end their winless streak, and Longstaff again came close in the 22nd minute. The midfielder picked up the ball in space and, from inside the opponents’ box, sent a shot just narrowly over the bar.

Newcastle found the breakthrough via an own goal in the 36th minute, as Daniel Ballard deflected the ball into his own net from a Joelinton cross, with Alexander Isak lurking behind.

The Magpies came out firing after the break, as they made it 2-0 within a minute into the second half when Isak latched onto a killer pass and coolly put the ball inside the right post.

Howe was forced to make an early substitution as Joelinton was injured in the 47th minute and replaced by Lewis Miley.

As Sunderland struggled to keep hold of the ball, the away fans were the ones making all the noise as Newcastle pushed for more goals to put the game beyond all doubt.

The Black Cats did come close in the 59th minute, as Alex Pritchard controlled the ball on the edge of the box, found his way into the area but his shot hit the crossbar.

Newcastle had a chance to make it 3-0 in the 68th minute, but Miguel Almiron was foiled by a last-gasp block. The third goal finally came in the 90th minute in the form of an Isak penalty, which gave Patterson no chance.

In the end, it was a comfortable win for Howe and his men as they look ahead to a big Premier League home clash against Manchester City on Jan 13.

“The Premier League doesn’t get easy with fixtures so this game was important,” he added. AFP