Birmingham, Aug 16 (IANS) Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe believes his team was ‘magnificent’ and had special praise for Anthony Gordon, who filled in the striker position with Alexander Isak’s future still up in the air.

Newcastle United were held to a 0-0 draw by Aston Villa in their opening Premier League match of the 2025/26 season at Villa Park on Saturday, despite the hosts going down to ten men in the second half.

“I can’t criticise anyone who played today. I thought Anthony Gordon was very good in that position. I couldn’t fault his performance. I think we have to focus at how the team functioned rather than any individual.

“If you’re not totally together in the Premier League, you’re going to find it very difficult. I think we answered a few questions today in terms of our spirit. We have to do that on a regular basis, not just today,” said Howe to BBC Sport.

When asked to reflect on Isak individually, Howe admitted it’s difficult for the players to shut out the ongoing transfer saga but urged his players to cope with the narrative.

“It’s a difficult one to answer. I hope it’s resolved quickly, because it’s news around us all the time. Players have managed to shut that out and perform. We have to continue to do that. We have to cope without the narrative against us,” he added.

After being held to a goalless draw at Villa, despite defender Ezri Konsa being shown a red card, Howe was adamant that his side deserved more.

“With the way we played, I think we deserved more. We were excellent in the first half – we just couldn’t score. Until the red card, that wasn’t our best period in the game. I can’t fault the players today, I thought they were magnificent.

“It was a hot day. I think we struggled to keep the momentum and intensity we were playing at. The home team’s always going to have a period in the game, but I thought we defended well. We were going strong at the end, trying to win,” Howe claimed.

–IANS

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