Newcastle beat Everton 3-1 to move out of the relegation zone; Eddie Howe hopes Newcastle's first back-to-back wins this season will prove to be a springboard in their push for survival; Frank Lampard warns Everton will have more nights like this as his first league match ends in defeat
Wednesday 9 February 2022 06:57, UK
Eddie Howe described Allan Saint-Maximin's man-of-the-match display against Everton as "magical", while Frank Lampard said the Frenchman was "unplayable".
Saint-Maximin set up Ryan Fraser for Newcastle's second goal as they beat Everton 3-1 to move out of the relegation zone and intensify pressure on the visitors by moving to within a point of the Toffees.
The forward topped the charts for dribbles (13), ten of which were successful and won 14 of his 22 duels. He helped create three chances, had two shots on target and ten touches in the opposition box.
Everton had no answer for Saint-Maximin all night - the Newcastle forward could have had two more assists had Joelinton's finishing been better - and it showed with both managers picking him out for praise after the game.
"Allan was his magical best tonight, such a difficult player to play when he is in that mood," said Newcastle boss Howe.
Howe also told BT Sport: "He's such a special player. We've seen in the last few weeks that he's got better and better since I've been here. I'm delighted with his performance today, he's a real threat and he's someone I'd hate to play against personally because you just can't predict what he's going to do.
"But he's a match winner, and we're going to need him at this level for the rest of the season."
Everton boss Frank Lampard added: "Saint-Maximin on a night like this evening is pretty unplayable at any level of football."
It was the first time Newcastle had won back-to-back games in the Premier League this season, and Howe hopes it will prove to be a real springboard for the remainder of the season.
"It is a big result for us because it was back-to-back wins," Howe said.
"Consecutive wins in the Premier League are rare - they can change your status and elevate the club, but we have to stay calm and focus on the next game.
"There is a good feeling in the dressing room, confidence levels are building. Our navigating of the game in tight situations has improved. I hope to see a big psychological effect from this win."
Lampard says he is slightly concerned by Everton's fragile confidence, and has warned everyone at the club that they will have to stick together, as he expects more nights like Tuesday's defeat.
Everton approached this game with high expectations following Saturday's impressive 4-1 win over Brentford, but struggled to recover after two own-goals in 107 seconds - one for each side - saw their lead chalked off.
Lampard, who was taking charge of his first league game, admits he was not surprised by the result on Tuesday night.
Asked about players heads going down after the Newcastle equaliser, Lampard said: "It's a concern.
"As much as confidence shot up at Goodison, when players were playing well and believing in themselves and the crowd got together and it was a great feeling, it went down quickly tonight and that is something we have to solve - the in-game situation where players lose a bit of belief.
"It may be one of the reasons I am here because I have watched a lot of the games coming into this job and the way the team were playing and the feeling of confidence that it gave off.
"That is something that won't change overnight, it changes with work, focus and results. Along the way of getting results, there will be some nights like this. So we must not get too down, as a club we need everybody together.
Newcastle are back in action on Sunday when they face Aston Villa at St James' Park, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 2pm.
Meanwhile, Everton host Leeds at Goodison Park on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.
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