Eddie Howe makes ‘uncomfortable’ Aston Villa admission as Ezri Konsa comments on St. James’ Park atmosphere

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted he didn’t feel comfortable until his side’s second goal despite Villa being reduced to 10 men early in the first half of the hosts’ Boxing Day win.

Jhon Duran’s sending-off after Anthony Gordon’s early opener allowed Newcastle to dominate possession but Unai Emery’s men always have the potential to cause trouble on the transition. Howe was able to breathe a sigh of relief when Alexander Isak scored to make it 2-0 as Newcastle’s lead then seemed insurmountable. Joelinton helped, adding a third late on to secure the points.

“The second goal was very important because we knew the game was never dead at 1-0. We showed some good team characteristics and managed the situation of the game very well,” Howe told Amazon Prime Video.

“They’re very good at what they do and it’s a lot more difficult with 10 than it is 11. I fully respect how they approached the game and how they kept going at us, it was never comfortable until we got that second goal and that’s credit to their qualities,” Howe added.

Villa defender Ezri Konsa, vital to keeping the score down for a while with a goal-line clearance and several important tackles, was disappointed by the manner of his team’s defeat. Konsa felt the atmosphere from the St. James’ Park crowd made it difficult to gain any real momentum, while the red card worsened matters.

“When you come to a place like this, to concede early it’s demoralising,” Konsa said. “Then the red card happened and we were at 10 men for most of the game and it was tough. We defended quite well as a team but when you’re only defending for most of the game, the chances are going to come and they scored three.”