Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hailed their victory over West Ham at the London Stadium as “one of the best wins of the season” and is “touching wood” over the fitness of his star players ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
The Magpies take on Liverpool in the Wembley showpiece on Sunday and prepared for that challenge with a hard-fought win over West Ham, with Bruno Guimaraes on target in the 1-0 win.
Howe was delighted with what he saw from his side, insisting they deserved all three points after a “scary” start to the game.
He said: “One of our best wins of the season, not in terms of performance but desire and heart.
“All the big ingredients you need to be a successful team. You need to find a way to win when the game is tight and get over the line.
“We defended really well after the first three minutes which were a bit scary. It was a deserved win.”
“It was a hard fought win based on really good defensive work from the team. There was a lot of heart in the performance and a lot of quality as well.
“I thought we played well in both halves and had the better chances so I’m really pleased.”
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Howe is well aware of the excitement in his squad and among the fans ahead of Sunday’s cup final but insisted the focus was on West Ham, with the result lifting his side to sixth, level on points with Manchester City in fifth place, which will almost certainly be enough to secure Champions League football next season.
He said: “The only focus was on today and trying to win today. We know how important that was for our Premier League form. But the players will naturally have Sunday on their mind.”
Nick Pope was recalled in goal while Harvey Barnes was given a rare start on the left in place of the suspended Anthony Gordon.
And Howe was full of praise for Barnes’ confidence-boosting assist for Bruno.
He added: “Harvey had his moments, his assist for the goal was a top quality ball and he’s capable of those decisive moments in the attacking third. I’m really pleased for him and for Bruno to get the goal.”
Alexander Isak was fit enough to start after his recent injury scares, and Newcastle had a couple of other nervy moments during the game with Sandro Tonali and Nick Pope both requiring treatment at different stages.
“Touch wood we have a clean bill of health, let’s wait and see but touch wood,” Howe said.
