Even though they created chances early on, Howe’s Newcastle failed to end the club’s 68-year trophyless run
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe was frustrated with how his team performed in their 2-0 loss to Manchester United in the EFL Cup final on Sunday. Howe pointed out Newcastle not being “clinical enough” which ultimately cost them the trophy.
‘Disappointed’ Eddie Howe
Two goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford in the first half stopped the early momentum of Newcastle United. The goals seemed enough to win United their first trophy since 2017. However, Eddie Howe thinks his team should’ve done better.
“Naturally, I’m disappointed,” Howe said at his post-match press conference. “I’m pleased with how we played. We were really good between both boxes but the penalty area is where games are won and lost. We weren’t clinical enough.
“I’ve got no regrets with how we set up. We wanted to be brave as we have been all season; [we wanted to] have a go at Manchester United. It was a strange game, not much goalmouth action.
“I can’t fault the players but the game was decided in big moments. We didn’t defend the free-kick well enough.”
After going on a long unbeaten run since August, Newcastle now have lost their last two matches. However, Eddie Howe believes his team is still performing well, but they just have a tough time scoring.
“I can’t fault the players but the game was decided in big moments“
“I think the team’s playing well, just maybe not as free-scoring as we were,” he said. “It is the hardest challenge for any team. We had a lot of moments today where we could have opened them up and that’s something we’ll need to improve.”
Lastly, Howe talked about how impressed he was with Newcastle United fans at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
“We felt nothing but support and love [from the fans],” Howe added. “It’s so important that the players can play in a supportive environment. The scenes when we drove in [to the stadium] were exceptional, probably my words don’t do it justice.”
