Newcastle United got back to winning ways on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over visiting Arsenal at St. James' Park.
The Magpies entered the match in poor form, having gone winless in five league matches and dropping to 12th place on the table. However, Eddie Howe's side were steadfast in their defending against the high-octane Gunners on Saturday, holding them to just a single shot on target despite conceding the lion's share of the possession to their visitors.
Newcastle looked to be efficient with their opportunities and found a breakthrough via Alexander Isak in the 12th minute as the Swede scored the only goal of the match and secured a massive three points for his side.
Howe expressed relief with the result amid a busy fixture list for his side and complimented his players on continuing to believe in themselves after a tough stretch of matches.
"You have to have a really mentality and know the results will turn if you continue to do the right things," the Newcastle boss told BBC Match of the Day. "It has been a difficult week with the fixtures but the players have done really well.
"There was a better feeling in training after the Chelsea win [in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday], as if pressure lifted slightly. Today's performance was built on hard, work , desire and a lot of really good defending in the second half. I thought we looked good."
As for how the Magpies pulled off the win against Arsenal, Howe attributed his team's commitment to staying switched on against a dangerous side.
"It was 95 minutes of concentration and consistency in our attitude," he said. "We managed and controlled some very good players pretty well today.
"It's three points but it means so much because we hadn't won for a while in the Premier League. I'm sure it will do us the world of good."
More Football
- Watch the Champions League on DAZN (Canada & New Zealand)
- Watch the Women's Champions League on DAZN