Eddie Howe outlines challenge for his Newcastle players after Champions League draw with Barcelona | OneFootball

Eddie Howe urged his Newcastle side to replicate the levels of their performance against Barcelona on a more consistent basis.

Newcastle led through Harvey Barnes in their Champions League round of 16 first leg but Lamine Yamal scored a last-minute penalty to ensure the tie is level going to Spain for the second leg.

“I think in the cold light of day when we wake up tomorrow we’ll see all the positives rather than the negatives,” Howe said on the draw.

“The tie is very much alive. We played really well and I think we showed our qualities. We’ve been really competitive.

“The challenge for us is we need more of it on a consistent basis and that’s easier said than done.

“But I think we’ve shown we can play against the very best when we’re at our best.

“I think we showed a lot of quality today in all phases of our game. It hasn’t always been the case this season. It’s been a really challenging campaign for us, a lot of ups and downs, again highlighted by today really. In among all the good there’s a down in there as well.

“But I think what we’ve been really good at is absorbing that and trying to use that for the future. That’s another experience we’ve gone through tonight that we need to use to make us better.”