Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe admitted he has no interest in the league table or Manchester United's results after watching his side thrash West Ham United 5-1 at the London Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Magpies followed up their 2-0 win over United at St James' Park on Sunday with a convincing victory over the relegation-threatened Hammers, meaning they retained third place, despite Erik ten Hag's side beating Brentford 1-0 at Old Trafford, thanks to Marcus Rashford netting the only goal of the game to halt the Reds' three-game winless league run.
Newcastle found themselves 2-1 up at half-time, courtesy of goals from Callum Wilson and Joelinton, before the duo scored again after the break either side of Alexander Isak's third goal in his last three matches. Their strikes secured a fourth successive win for Howe's team, meaning they remain third on 53 points, marginally ahead of United on goal difference.
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But even though Newcastle are in the driving seat to secure a top-four finish this season, Howe is refusing to pay any attention to the league table. He even admitted in his post-match interview, at the time of speaking, that he did not even know the outcome of United's clash with Brentford.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Howe said: "I thought it was a tough game. A strange scoreline. It could have been different if they'd scored their early chance.
"We rode our luck at times. We scored some great goals. When we clicked into gear we were very good. It's been a really good night.
"[It was a] really good performance from Callum. He's an outstanding goalscorer and has been a huge player for us. I was pleased with the second half as we played with more control. We weren't perfect.
"We're not really focusing on the league table. I don't know the other score from tonight. We've won, that's the main thing."
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