Eddie Howe sent out a frightening message to the rest of the Premier League - by insisting Newcastle United were not at their best against West Ham.
The Magpies ran riot in terms of goals with a 5-1 hammering at the London Stadium but Howe knows his team have another gear or two to crank up in the next few days. Newcastle stayed in third spot and will now work from their London base to warm up for Brentford on Saturday.
Afterwards Howe reflected: "I thought after the high of Sunday this would be a tough test psychologically. We weren't at our best but we were clinical.
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"We haven’t been like that for a while. The scoreline looks comfortable but it was a tight game. We set such high standards for ourselves that we want the team to play at the highest level. We were a bit sloppy at times. I'm delighted with the spirit and determination."
Howe stated that he was happy with Newcastle showing their ruthless side. He said after the game: "We haven’t been [ruthless recently]. To add that to our game would make us a stronger team. No doubt about Callum Wilson's ability and his quality. Two really good goals."
Newcastle face a trip to Brentford on Saturday but head to the overachieving Bees knowing they have a 10-point gap over the west London outfit who have their own European ambitions this season as they sit ninth in the table.
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