We kicked off a huge January in the perfect way with a hard-fought 2-0 win against Crystal Palace at St James’ Park.
Anthony Gordon looked to have given us an early lead with what would have been his first open play league goal in close to a year, but Yoane Wissa was marginally offside in the buildup.
But in the second half, goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Malick Thiaw, both from short range and within minutes of one another, finally put down Oliver Glasner’s side and gave us all three points.
Here’s what Eddie Howe had to say after Sunday afternoon’s game:
Howe on today’s game:
After the mixed response to our performance against Burnley, which even the local media called an hour-long onslaught from the Clarets, today’s win felt vital to build genuine momentum and move us back into the top 10.
It wasn’t pretty, and Palace had their chances, but we were the better team and deserved not only the win, but the clean sheet as well.
Reacting to the game and hard fought win, Howe praised our patience, the impact of our second half substitutes and ability to come on strong in a tight match:
“It was the sort of Premier League game that is difficult to get total control in. Palace are a stubborn side. We had to be patient and navigate our way through, and the changes made a big impact.
“It was a tough game, it always is against Palace. Oliver has done an amazing job. We had to be patient. It was bitty at times. I think the substitutions made a difference and helped us over the lines.
“I think they were two good moves for the goals that weren’t (Wissa and Joelinton). We needed that first goal to relax us. I think we got better and better in the game. But it didn’t come and the players had to deal with that.
“I thought we did that well. We got better as the game went on, it was a strong finish and we deserved to win.”
“It was always going to be decided by a key moment and Bruno came up with a big one. He played a captain’s role. This was a big game for us and it was decided by a huge player”
Howe: We’ve still got to work to do
Today’s game against Crystal Palace is the first of nine huge games coming up this month, culminating in three tough tests to finish against Aston Villa, PSG and Liverpool.
Three points wasn’t just an expectation, but a necessity to keep us in the tight race for European football that much of the league is finding itself in, with the victory taking us just one points behind Chelsea and two behind Man Utd in fifth.
On that note, Howe insists we’ve still got work to do, but describes this win as a big step in the right direction:
“It’s a better position but we’ve got more work to do.
“We’ve got a massive month ahead.
“We need to build some momentum and confidence and today is a big step forward.”
