00:00After the disappointment of West Ham, Newcastle United flexed their muscles against Athletic Club of Bilbao
00:06with a comfortable 2-0 victory at St James' Park.
00:09The Magpies' goals came in each half, one from Dan Byrne and the other from Joe Linton.
00:14Everyone of a black and white persuasion inside of St James' Park was looking for an immediate response
00:19after the poor performance that had been put out against West Ham in the Premier League.
00:24And for the most part, that is what they got.
00:27The first half wasn't the most exciting of 45 minutes, but Newcastle did enough to be ahead
00:32and realistically could have scored more than the one that they did in the opening period of the match.
00:38The Magpies were therefore thankful to score their second early into the second half, which put them in a commanding position.
00:45Whilst Bilbao did apply pressure in the closing stages, Anyhow's side were able to lap it up
00:50and come away with the win that sees them up to sixth place in the Champions League table
00:55with half of the league phase having been played.
00:59Let's go back to the referee's first whistle to see how the match unfolded.
01:03The majority of the team that lost against the Hammers in London were given the chance to bounce back in the Champions League
01:11and that they did.
01:13Dan Byrne opened the scoring after just 11 minutes with a curling header had found the back of the net
01:18after he had latched on to Kieran Trippier's set piece from the right-hand side.
01:24Newcastle could have been further ahead by half-time, but they didn't have to wait long to double their advantage after the break.
01:32Joe Linton scoring ahead of this time from Harvey Barnes' cross from the left-hand side of the box.
01:38That was effectively game over.
01:40And after the full-time whistle, Eddie Howe spoke on wanting his side to be more consistent across all competitions from now on.
01:48Yeah, I think it's, you know, I think when you go back and look at our time, we've been pretty consistent through the seasons.
01:56Of course, you have dips throughout it.
02:00We want to make sure that we don't become that team that's yo-yoing in terms of attitude or intensity or delivery of performances.
02:09We really want that identity to be clear in how we play, regardless of where we play.
02:14Yeah, always important bouncing back after a bad defeat at West Ham.
02:21It was a good proof what this group of players is capable to do.
02:27I think the confidence is there.
02:29We just have to stop to talk too much and show in the pitch because we own our fans away from home.
02:38And how are you physically? Because you had a bit of a bug recently as well.
02:40Oh, bad. I'm very tired. I think today was like playing with 10 kilos in my back.
02:48So, I will do everything for this club. I love to play here, even more at home.
02:53Yeah, I think tonight, especially tonight, we play with confidence.
02:58When we play with confidence, we are another team.
03:02Because if you watch the last game, we weren't a little bit brave.
03:10We miss confidence. We miss brave in the pitch.
03:13Every time we miss this, we have a big problem.
03:16So, every time we play with brave, with confidence, we win the game.
03:21Every time. And we are happy after the game.
03:24Do you think you are playing the best football of your career at present?
03:29Yes, but just because I am 25 now and I came here when I was 22.
03:40So, I was young before Newcastle and I think, yes, this is my best football.
03:46But because I am 25, I have three years more in my legs, I have more confidence, more experience.
03:56In Bruno Gimaraes and Sandro Tonali, Newcastle have a pair of midfielders
04:00who are two of the most capable, not just in the country, but in Europe too.
04:05Tonali, as he made clear, is playing the best football of his career here at present.
04:10But Newcastle must fight to keep hold of him when other potential suitors come sniffing.
04:14As for Bruno, well, his passion for the club and for the city is undoubted.
04:19But he, like others know, performances across all of Newcastle's competitions this season
04:24must be more consistent.
04:26This was a frustration shared by Eddie Howe.
04:28Up next for the Magpies is a trip to face Brentford in the Premier League.
04:32A type of fixture which has been a stumbling block for Newcastle so far this season.
04:37It is one, therefore, where they can highlight that they really do have the right mentality.
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