Newcastle United played their first UEFA Champions League in 20 years, and it might have been that crowd that gave them that edge for what was a perfect night at St. James’ Park.
The Magpies secured a lopsided 4-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. Manager Eddie Howe praised his squad for their performance, which has catapulted the club to the top of Group F after two matchdays.
“I’m so pleased with the players for what they gave tonight,” Howe said (h/t The Guardian). “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.”
Kieran Trippier: Newcastle leaned on the crowd for the win over PSG
Kieran Trippier played a significant role in the Premier League club’s thrashing of the French giants. The veteran assisted the Sean Langstaff goal, making the game 3-0. The goal put the game away, considering it came early in the second half, eliminating any chance of a comeback.
Trippier spoke to Canal+ postgame and shared the major part in the English club having that momentum to secure the win over PSG.
“It was a great match; it’s been 20 years since we last played in the Champions League here,” Trippier told the French media outlet (h/t Paris Fans). “We wanted to mark the occasion and show that we were present.
“We were playing at home. We knew we were going to have the crowd behind us; we had to play our game to the fullest. We pressed very well; we had to do it against Paris.”
