EDDIE HOWE has defended his decision to take off Sandro Tonali during this afternoon’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, despite being loudly booed by the travelling support when Tonali left the field.

Tonali was substituted in the 67th minute of Newcastle’s loss at Stamford Bridge, with Sean Longstaff replacing him as part of a triple change that also saw Harvey Barnes and Miguel Almiron head to the sidelines.

The Italian was the last of the three players to make it to the touchline, and Newcastle’s travelling support clearly booed the decision to take him out of the fray.

The same thing happened during last weekend’s home defeat to Brighton, when Tonali made way in the 66th minute for Willock, but while Howe appreciates the supporters’ bond with the midfielder, he has defended his decision-making.

“I understand the supporters love Sandro and want to see him stay on the pitch,” said the Magpies boss. “But every decision I make is, in my eyes, to the benefit of the team. And also with a view on the horizon and the games we have to come.

“I think Sandro can only do his bit, and influence the game so much that he becomes indispensable, in my opinion, to the team. I think there’s more to come from him.”

Newcastle are going through a rocky run, with their defeat to Chelsea meaning they have now gone five Premier League games without a victory.

READ MORE:

They have slipped to 12th position in the table, six points adrift of the top four, but while Howe admits the opening three months of the season have not really gone to plan, he remains convinced his team are heading in the right direction.

“It’s not where we want to be, but it’s the reality and we have to accept it,” said Howe. “I think a couple of wins changes everything, changes the picture very quickly.

“I think, for me, as long as the players are committed, together and giving everything in the matches then I’ll take whatever the results are.

“I think you could see that we were absolutely all of those things today. That gives me real heart for what’s ahead.

“The majority of the game, I liked. I thought it was a strong performance. Coming here, you know it’s going to be a very difficult game, especially when you concede early. But I thought our response was really strong.

“We weren’t perfect in our performance, we’ve lost the game, but I thought it was another improvement and I feel the team is moving in the right direction, albeit that making a couple of mistakes has cost us.”