Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA
Eddie Howe said he hoped that his Newcastle team had experienced the first of a “lot of very special nights like this” after they beat Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 in their first Champions League game at St James’ Park for 20 years.
Luis Enrique’s contentious decision to field four forwards left the visiting manager’s midfield frequently overrun, leaving Miguel Almirón, Dan Burn, Sean Longstaff and Fabian Schär to score the goals which lift Newcastle to the top of Group F.
Related: Newcastle’s Burn and Longstaff lead 4-1 rout of PSG on epic St James’ Park night
“I’m so pleased with the players for what they gave tonight,” said Howe. “It was a difficult game tactically, PSG try to play from the back, so we had to unbalance and unsettle them.
“We were man for man at the back against elite players and they had some moments when they hurt us in what, I thought, was an even game but our goals came at good moments. To score four times against PSG in front of our supporters made it a really special night. The atmosphere was very special; I can’t thank our fans enough.
“In Milan in the last game (when Newcastle drew 0-0) there was an element of us not quite hitting our levels but tonight gives us the belief we need to be successful. But it’s only a small step.”
Luis Enrique looked braced for a major inquest once his group favourites return to Paris. “There is no doubt I’m the person responsible for the defeat,” said the former Spain coach who stuck with four forwards and what often morphed from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-4 formation throughout.
“I thought my players’ attitude was good. I thought the outcome was fair but the scoreline was not a fair reflection. My players struggled a bit with Newcastle’s pressing game and we made some careless mistakes. At this level you can’t afford to do that but we are still second in the group.
“It was a good game, Newcastle were the better team, they definitely deserved to win but the margin of victory was perhaps a little wider than was fair. But we have to hold our hands up.”
