"No illusions" - Eddie Howe issues Newcastle United warning as new injury blow emerges

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe made it clear that there should be "no illusions" over the Magpies' 2-0 win over Chelsea.

The Blues made 11 changes and left Cole Palmer on the bench all night, but Howe feels that the Londoners are still capable of beating anybody regardless of the host of changes. More importantly, the result stopped the rot for Howe and his team triumphed at home in front of a near full house to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Howe, speaking after the 2-0 win over Chelsea, said: "We wanted the performance and the result - and we got that tonight. Especially in the first half I thought it was hallmark us. We had really good energy, a good feel and a good attitude. It was a massive win for us."

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Newcastle had gone into the game under scrutiny but now find themselves just 90 minutes away from the semi-finals if they can beat Brentford at home. It could be a game changer for Newcastle and Howe this term.

Howe said: "I always think football and games change in a heartbeat. Momentum can change, you need somebody to spark you into life the opposite way. The only people that can do that is ourselves, our players and our staff. We come together and ultimately winning football matches is what we need to do.

"The intention was really good from the players. You could see we were there mentally and the quality has never been in doubt. The fitness levels looked really good and we beat a very good team, let's have no illusion, they have outstanding players."

The only bad news for Newcastle was that Jacob Murphy was missing with a muscle injury.

Howe said: "Jacob was missing because of a slight hamstring. He couldn’t play tonight, but we don’t think it’s anything serious."