Howe hails his heroes

Relief ahead of trip to Jeddah

AT least Newcastle United can legitimately enjoy re-runs of this deserved victory from their Saudi Arabian retreat next week.

One upshot of the club’s takeover was the shutting down of TV piracy in the Gulf state and the return of Premier League football to licensed broadcast outlets.

Lose here and the televisions may well have remained off inside their Jeddah training camp.

It would also have made for an awkward meeting with the Saudi owners, who did not buy into Newcastle for the glory of a title tilt in the Championship.

The prospect of relegation down to the second tier remains real, of course — they are still one point from safety — but it feels less likely after this. Not just because of the three points, but the manner of a performance that Eddie Howe saw fit to label ‘heroic’.

And how they needed it before jetting off to Saudi today. That trip has brought questions Howe could probably do without, but at least his team finally answered a few that have been asked of them in recent weeks.

When the second half descended into a chaotic game of ‘murderball’ Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa’s infamous training-ground test of fitness and fortitude – it was the hosts who you assumed would go in for the kill.

Do not forget, Newcastle striker Callum Wilson openly admitted that the team were not fit enough this season under former boss Steve Bruce.

Here, then, was evidence of the progress that has been made under Howe since he took over in early November. Newcastle were fitter, faster and stronger during the frenetic period in which Jonjo Shelvey landed the fatal blow via a 75thminute free-kick.

Yes, they were dead on their feet come the end of five, injury-time minutes, but that was also to recognise the renewed spirit with Howe in charge.

‘It was a heroic effort,’ said the head coach, winning for only the second time in 11 matches.

‘To a man, everyone contributed. We showed incredible intensity. If you can’t compete against Leeds then they will blow you away. Our athletes came to the fore. We are still working on that side, but fitness is a key fundamental for me.

‘You saw a resilience and a team fighting for each other. They have belief that we’re not dead and buried. Hopefully this can transform our season.’

Bielsa’s side had won their last two games but played here as if with a complacency on the back of those results that had taken them clear of danger.

‘I’m very frustrated,’ said the Leeds boss. ‘It was a game to show some consistency and it was a very important opportunity that we failed to take advantage of.’

Leeds brought just one save from Martin Dubravka, and it says much for how badly they faded that it came in the 11th minute when Dan James was denied from close range.

They were, in fairness, the better team in the first half, in part because they weren’t as poor as Newcastle, who were ragged in possession and shape. Leeds saw plenty of the ball in the final third but, just when the composure of Rodrigo or cunning of Raphinha was needed, it eluded them.

Jack Harrison scored a hat-trick in the fine Leeds victory at West Ham last weekend but he, too, was strangely subdued, quietening calls for England inclusion in front of the watching manager Gareth Southgate.

Instead, it was a former Three Lions international who emerged as the match-winner.

Shelvey remains an enigma given his obvious talent, but Howe looks to have cracked the code with a midfielder who has long since split opinion among supporters.

Not that there was any doubt as to his popularity in a joyous away end when crucially directing his 20yard free-kick beyond Illan Meslier.

A word on the home goalkeeper, though, whose gloves looked coated in grease as the ball squirmed through them — it was in truth a poor concession.

Having lost a league-high 21 points from winning positions, Newcastle’s subsequent resistance in the closing minutes of the game was unexpected yet most welcome for Howe.

Do not underestimate, either, the impact that this win could have on the club’s transfer business in the final week of the window, for the view for potential signings is a little rosier than it might have been with a different set of results this weekend.

And so to Saudi, where the Premier League highlights will prove a timely boost, rather than the usual source of embarrassment.