Newcastle United vs Manchester City: Read Eddie Howe's pre-match message | OneFootball

City are no strangers to us; incredibly this will be the fifth time the two sides have met this season alone. We know as well as anyone what a good side they are, and we relish the opportunity to go head-to-head in a competition we are very motivated to progress in.

We approach this match with confidence after a memorable night against Manchester United in the Premier League just three days ago. For the past few seasons our home form has been a vital component of everything we have achieved, so after a couple of results which hadn’t gone our way, we knew the importance of the match in the context of our season.

I thought we started the game in a really positive fashion and created chances to have scored in the early stages of the game. We looked the more dangerous team in the first half without finding the breakthrough, and just before half time we suffered a big setback when Jacob Ramsey was sent off. Just moments later, an excellent run from Anthony Gordon earned us a penalty, which he scored from the spot to give us the lead.

With seconds remaining, Manchester United levelled, and it would have been easy at that stage for our heads to have dropped. So the players deserve enormous credit for their response to this double setback, and when the second half started we showed an incredible desire to stay in the game and still managed to cause problems when we could.

In the final few minutes, Will Osula stepped off the bench and scored the winning goal to secure all three points and cap a performance which will live long in the memory.

This performance said so much about our dressing room. The never-say-die spirit which has been the hallmark of our recent success, the discipline and togetherness which was shown by every player to compensate for being a man down for half the game against a side in form. And the talent to take the opportunity and find a way to win when it didn’t seem possible.

Best of all was sharing the moment with you all at the final whistle. We know our league form hasn’t matched the high standards we set ourselves at times this season, and we’ve never made excuses for this. So it was really special to celebrate the result with you, and the best way to say thank you for the incredible support you have given us when things haven’t always gone our way.

Tonight, we ask for even more backing as we aim to go further in the cup.

Eddie Howe.