Eddie Howe praised Newcastle for their 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest but urged his side to manage games better in the future.
A rampant first-half display saw the Toon race into a 4-1 lead with four goals in 13 minutes but they were unable to match the intensity of the first half as they held off a comeback by the visitors in a nervy second period.
Goals from Nikola Milenkovic and Ryan Yates for Forest had reduced what had looked like an unassailable lead and made the conclusion to the game much more uncomfortable than it should have been.
And while Howe was delighted to get an important win which takes them level with Manchester City in fourth, he said his team need to keep ensuring they improve things.
He told Sky Sports: “Great to win. You have to remember that at the end. Crazy game, but that’s why we love it I suppose.
“Two sides of us. The first half was excellent. A great response to going down. The second half was equally bad really. We struggled to get to grips with the momentum when it turned against us.
“At our best we’re free-flowing, an attacking team, dynamic. You saw the best of us in the first half.”
But on their lacklustre display after the break, Howe adde: “My brain goes to the second half. We weren’t perfect. The defending of set-plays and crosses into the box, we’ve usually been quite good at that over the years. On a snap reaction, that’s what I’ll say.
“A really good performance from Lewis [Miley]. He finished his goal really well. He can be really pleased, he’s been developing really well.
“It’s a feeling we have to remember. It feels like we lost the game, but we won the game and got points over Nottingham Forest.”
“Crazy game, but that’s why we love it!” 😍
Eddie Howe reflects on Newcastle’s massive win over Nottingham Forest 👇 pic.twitter.com/Ml7hQ3UceE
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 23, 2025
Nuno pleased with Forest reaction
Opposing manager Nuno Espirito Santo chose to remain positive despite their third defeat in four Premier League games and says their second-half fightback can prove a positive ahead of the run-in as they look to cling onto their Champions League spot.
He told the BBC: “First half Newcastle were better. Second half, us better. And the goals proved that. There is no explination [to the first half] we have to wait and see.
“It was a big gap to to try and recover from. The reaction was very good. We gave it our all and we created a lot of chances against Newcastle and believed we could win the game.
“The reaction was good, I think the team was more recognisable. We played good and were positive going forward. This pleased me the most.
“I wish it was 10 minutes [added on] to get [the equaliser]. We were in a good moment.”