Eddie Howe insisted Newcastle United had produced their “best performance of the season” as they drew 3-3 with Liverpool at St James' Park following a 90th-minute equalizer from Fabian Schar.
The hosts twice took the lead and were put back before Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead in the 83rd minute before Schar stormed home to grab a point.
Newcastle finished proceedings with a superior expected goals total (xG) compared to that of the league leaders, registering 1.72 xG to Liverpool's 1.44.
It gave Howe a better perspective on his team, who have underperformed so far this season and currently sit 10th in the Premier League.
“I feel positive. I feel really positive. I thought that was a much better performance from us. First half really good, you know that with the quality they have from the bench at Trent [Alexander-Arnold] comes with his creativity, then we have a potential problem,” Howe told Amazon Prime.
“But our mental quality came to the fore and we got the equalizer. We had chances to make it 2-0, we scored three goals, looked dynamic and energetic and played with a lot of quality.
“I'm really proud. We went toe to toe and matched them, it's our best of the season. Our plan was to be ourselves, which is difficult against a team like Liverpool, it's a delicate balance.”
What a game this is at St James' Park! pic.twitter.com/V6ACUqh1sx
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 4, 2024
Newcastle first took the lead through Alexander Isak, who also provided the assist for their second goal in the 62nd minute, from Anthony Gordon.
While the Swedish striker has had an inconsistent start to the 2024/25 season, he now leads the club in goals scored in the Premier League this season (five).
His goal on Wednesday means he is the third Newcastle player to score in each of his first two Premier League appearances against the league leaders, after David Edgar in 2008 and Andy Cole in 1993.
Howe was equally complimentary of Isak's impact, saying: “I thought it was his best performance of the season.
“It was a goal out of nowhere for us. We missed it this season. Those moments of magic can swing games your way.
“Isak was really good tonight. If we get our players to fire, we are a team.”
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