EDDIE HOWE will spend the next few days assessing Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak’s performance during Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal before deciding whether to pair the two forwards together again in Saturday’s game at Leeds United.

Having opted against playing with two strikers in the same team for the vast majority of the season, Howe named Wilson and Isak in the same starting side for the first time at the weekend.

While Isak hit the post with a second-half header and Wilson strained every sinew in an attempt to stretch the Arsenal defence, the ploy did not really work with both forwards struggling to make a sustained impact in the final third.

Isak, in particular, suffered from a lack of service in the first half, and Howe admits he will have to think closely about his attacking selection for Elland Road.

“At half-time, that (getting Isak into the game) was one big thing we focused on,” said the Magpies boss. “We just didn’t get Alex the ball enough to enable him to show his qualities.

“As a team, I felt we didn’t function as well as we needed to in that aspect because I felt we could have been a real threat in the game. When he did get the ball, I thought he was a thorn in their side. It’s certainly something for me to reflect on and analyse. There’s a lot to take in from that game.”

Newcastle’s defeat means things have tightened up considerably in the race for a Champions League place, with Liverpool’s superb recent run having thrust them right back into the battle for a top-four spot.

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While Manchester United’s defeat at West Ham means the Magpies remain in third position, two points ahead of Erik ten Hag’s side, fifth-placed Liverpool have closed to within three points of Newcastle, albeit having played a game more.

Attention now switches to Saturday’s game against a Leeds side who will be playing their first home match under former Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce, with Howe determined that Sunday’s setback against Arsenal will not throw his side off track.

“The character is in there, that’s been evident to me,” he said. “This is no time for negativity or for me to lose control emotionally. It’s a time to focus on the future with four games to go.

“It can be a really memorable season for us. It’s in our hands. If anyone had said at the start of the season we could be in this position, you would definitely have wanted to be in our position. But getting over the line will probably be the hardest thing we have to do. That’s the challenge in front of us.”