EPL: Arsenal saw our best performance of the season, says Newcastle boss Howe

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has described their victory over Arsenal as the best performance of the season.

Howe’s team dominated the game for the full 90 minutes with the returning Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes getting the goals in the second half for a 2-0 win that could have been more.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Howe said: “Big turnaround from that game [defeat at Arsenal in his first game in the dugout]. That was a really frustrating day. We left the stadium that day in a difficult moment. We knew we had a massive second half of the season. Luckily the players responded brilliantly to the challenge.

“This was the best performance since my arrival.

“The motivation was personal pride and performing in front of our supporters and leaving on a good note into the summer.

“We were very aggressive, good physically. It’s not an easy game, Arsenal are top quality. Credit to the players.

“We knew this was something we hadn’t achieved – getting something against the top six. In the future we’ll have to compete against these teams. We have to have confidence we can win anywhere. This will help us.

“A whole host of things have helped us turn the results around – unity, team spirit and January definitely helped with quality players coming in.

“The mentality of the group, they were determined not to get relegated.

“The hardest thing for me this summer is to keep that [group spirit] intact while changing the dynamic of the group.

“There’s a massive connection between us and the fans. The minimum we can give them is 100% effort every time we play. That’s what they want to see. I think we’ve delivered that in the main.”