Eddie Howe praises 'committed' Newcastle after win over Manchester City

The Magpies progressed to the fourth round of the competition with a 1-0 win over City. Credit: PA Images

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe praised the commitment of his players as they earned a crucial win over Manchester City to book their place in the Carabao Cup last sixteen.

Alexander Isak's goal proved decisive as the Magpies dumped the treble winners out of the competition with a 1-0 win at St James' Park to confirm their place in the competition's fourth round.

Howe finally got the better of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola for the first time in 14 attempts.

He said: "Yes, my record against him isn't good, so it's nice to win, but most importantly it's not about that it's about trying to progress in the competition and I'm delighted with the players, delighted with the efforts that they gave.

"It was a very difficult game for us in that first half, I thought they played very well. I thought we defended very well - we had to because we struggled, didn't have much rhythm.

"But then the second half was a totally different performance. The balance of of the team was much better and I'm delighted with everyone's commitment to the game."

It was the first time Eddie Howe had secured a win against a Pep Guardiola side in fourteen attempts. Credit: PA Images

Both sides rotated heavily, with Howe making ten changes to the side which thrashed Sheffield United 8-0 at the weekend.

Among the stars on the night were summer signing Tino Livramento and centre back Paul Dummett who produced a dominant display on his first competitive appearance for the club in more than a year.

After a cagey first half, Howe sent on Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes to give the Magpies more attacking threat.

Eight minutes after the break, Joelinton made a powerful run into the City box to tee up Alexander Isak who tapped home to score the only goal of the game.

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Howe said: "The only way you go into these games with more belief is by winning, so hopefully that will serve us well for the future. It shows that we are capable.

"Yes, both teams made changes, but all you can do is try to win the game and we did, and I'm delighted with the players."

Newcastle will now face the team from the other side of Manchester, Manchester United - the side who defeated the Magpies in the final of the Carabao Cup in 2023.

The result also ended City's hopes of going one better than their treble win and sealing a historic quadruple. When asked about whether he was disappointed at this fact, Guardiola said: "You think the target was to win the quadruple? Honestly, it's not.

"We competed really well and we are more than satisfied to win the treble. Our expectations are high, but not high enough to not be satisfied with that."

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