Eddie Howe has praised Newcastle United’s performance after they kept their hopes of a top eight finish with an emphatic 3-0 win over PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night.
The Magpies moved up to seventh in the 36-team standings and confirmed their spot in at least the playoff rounds with their fourth win of the campaign.
Summer signing Yoanne Wissa scored eight minutes into his first Champions League start to put them ahead, before he squared for Anthony Gordon to double the lead in the 30th minute after an error at the back by PSV.
“Really good performance from us. A difficult opponent, tactically, they are tough to play against”, Eddie Howe said in his post-match press conference.
“We were rewarded with some really good goals today. Really good night for Yoane Wissa and I am really pleased for him. In part, he came to this club for nights like today.”
Harvey Barnes added a third with a brilliant strike in the second half, as Newcastle sealed a comfortable win and moved into the automatic spots for the playoff rounds.
The Magpies head into their final league-phase match against defending champions PSG next week, hoping for a win to book their a top eight finish.
However, a defeat would push them out of the top eight and would mean they need to pass through the playoffs before booking their spot in the Round of 16.
“The players embraced the challenge and I thought it was the best individual performances from a lot of the players for a while.
“A lot of the players have excelled in this competition this year and Anthony Gordon is one of those”, the Englishman added.
Newcastle United lost Bruno Guimaraes to injury in the clash, but would hope their star midfielder will not be sidelined for long as they continue their aspirations for the season.
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