Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe was proud of his player’s performance despite their defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
The Magpies suffered a late collapse to lose 2-1 at home against the North London side, as their poor start to the season continued.
Newcastle headed into the tie needing a win to move up the standings and were on their way to a fourth straight home win over Arsenal, until they conceded two late goals to suffer a second league loss of the season.
The visitors started brightly and only a contentious VAR decision denied them a penalty after a foul on Victor Gyokeres by Nick Pope.
However, summer signing Nick Woltemade opened scoring with a superb header from a Sandro Tonali cross in the first half.
The Gunners upped the tempo in the second half and after missed chances from both sides, got their deserved equalizer with few minutes left when Mikel Merino headed in from Declan Rice’s cross.
Arsenal scored deep into the stoppage-time, after Nick Pope missed a punch at a cornerkick, allowing Gabriel to head in the winner.
The goal sparked jubilant scenes among the away supporters, while Newcastle suffered a heartbreak with another defeat this season.
The Magpies must now bounce back from the defeat as they head to Belgium to face Union Saint-Gilloise in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Howe pleased with performance, but demands better from team
In his post-match conference, Eddie Howe was proud of his team, but revealed they needed to give their best for better results.
“I thought we tried. We gave everything to the game. It was really physical”, Eddie Howe admitted.
“I don’t think we were at our best today, being honest. Arsenal played very well.
“We had our chances in the game and we took the lead and we were desperate to try and hang on to that lead.
“Nick [Pope] made some good saves for us, but it wasn’t to be, and we conceded set-pieces at the end. It was so disappointing.”
