After witnessing his team thrash West Ham United 5-1 at the London Stadium on Wednesday night, Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe confessed he doesn't care about the league standings or Manchester United's performances.
The Magpies maintained third place despite Erik ten Hag's team defeating Brentford 1-0 at Old Trafford, thanks to Marcus Rashford scoring the game's only goal to snap the Reds' three-game league winless streak. The Magpies followed up their 2-0 victory over United at St James' Park on Sunday with a convincing victory over the relegation-threatened Hammers.
Newcastle led 2-1 at the break thanks to goals from Callum Wilson and Joelinton, Alexander Isak scored his third goal in as many games before the pair scored once more after the interval. Their goals gave Howe's team a fourth straight victory, keeping them in third place with 53 points, just clear of United on goal differential.
Howe is choosing to ignore the league standings despite the fact that Newcastle is in a strong position to place in the top four this season. He even acknowledged in his post-game interview that, at the time he was speaking, he had no idea how United's encounter against Brentford had turned out.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Howe said: "I thought it was a tough game. A strange scoreline. It could have been different if they'd scored their early chance."
"We rode our luck at times. We scored some great goals. When we clicked into gear we were very good. It's been a really good night."
"[It was a] really good performance from Callum. He's an outstanding goalscorer and has been a huge player for us. I was pleased with the second half as we played with more control. We weren't perfect.
"We're not really focusing on the league table. I don't know the other score from tonight. We've won, that's the main thing."
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