Eddie Howe tells Newcastle to ‘drive forward’ and seal Champions League spot | OneFootball

Eddie Howe knows Newcastle took a huge stride towards Champions League qualification with victory over Chelsea but has told his players they can afford to take nothing for granted.

Sunday’s 2-0 win against the Blues, who had been locked together with the Magpies on both points and goal difference ahead of kick-off, eased Howe’s men back into third place in the Premier League table and all but mathematically to within one win of a top-five finish.

However, with next weekend’s trip to Arsenal to come before Everton head for Tyneside on the final day of the season, the 47-year-old head coach is not counting any chickens.

He said: “We still have two games to go and lots of twists and turns that could be around the corner. We can’t sit back and look at it that way.

“We have to drive forward, reflect on our next game and make sure we’re ready for Arsenal because that is a very, very tough match. We know how tight it is with the teams around us, so we’re not taking anything for granted.

“I have to say, the players have been magnificent in that respect for a long, long time, but we go again next week.”

Newcastle could hardly have got off to a better start when Sandro Tonali stabbed them into a second-minute lead and although the game turned on Nicolas Jackson’s 35th-minute dismissal for an elbow on Sven Botman, it was the Blues who were boosted by it.

They were far more dangerous after the break than they had been before it, with the Magpies rather falling between two stools and Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez were both denied an equaliser by the excellent Nick Pope before Bruno Guimaraes’ deflected 90th-minute strike calmed Geordie nerves.

Howe said: “It’s a massive win for us. We knew that before the game, we knew the importance.

“It’s so tight and that has put us in a stronger position, but it’s still very tight and we’ve got two games where we have to keep our focus and try to get as many points as we can.”

Opposite number Enzo Maresca admitted the red card had changed the game, but was measured in his assessment of the incident.

He said: “For sure, the red card affected the game. Against this team in this stadium, it’s already complicated and if you give them one extra player, it’s difficult.

“But overall, I think, especially in the second half, we created big chances even with 10 players when it’s not easy.

“If the referee decides a red card, it’s a red card, but in some different decisions in this stadium, sometimes it’s the noise decides if it’s a foul or not.”

Jackson will now miss the fixtures against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest which will decide Chelsea’s Champions League fate.

Maresca said: “The season for him is finished. He’s our nine, he’s our striker. We will need to find a different solution for the last two games. It happened, he will be out for the season and he needs to learn for the future.”