Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe admits the St James' Park faithful set his side up for another famous win under the lights as the Magpies progressed to the last four of the Carabao Cup. A sold out crowd roared Newcastle on from the outset as another inspired Wor Flags' scarf initiative made for a fantastic atmosphere inside the stadium.
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer and co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi have both since called for club scarves to be a feature at every home game, and Howe is also a big fan of the idea after being wowed by the sea of black and white as he emerged from the tunnel before kick-off.
“When I walked out from the tunnel, you could just see the scarves and the black and white, and what a picture, really," the Newcastle boss told reporters on Tuesday evening. "The stadium for night games is always a thing of beauty, but then you see that atmosphere and the movement of everyone around the stands.
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“I thought it was set up to be – hopefully - a good performance from us, you just hope that we can live up to the support we're going to get and I thought players did.
“Credit to the supporters for not getting anxious in that moment when we were missing chances and not quite taking the excellent moves that we had. That certainly helped the players relax and get the goal in the end."
This isn't the first time Howe has admitted his love for 'special' nights under the lights on Tyneside. His players clearly relish them too with infamous 2022 wins over Wolves, Arsenal and Chelsea all coming in evening games.
While there was plenty of nerves on display as fans clocked out of work and made their way to the ground on Tuesday, there is a feeling that night time games bring out the best of this Newcastle group.
“I think night games here are absolutely brilliant," Howe told reporters back in April. “I would have loved to have played in one myself but the next best thing, is managing and experiencing what the crowd can do to the players and how they can inspire them."
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