Three things delighted Eddie Howe in Newcastle's Tottenham victory

EDDIE Howe was delighted by three things after his Newcastle side overcame Tottenham on penalties in their post-season friendly in Melbourne.

Howe was relieved to confirm all of his players - including Kieran Trippier - came through the game unscathed.

He told of his pride in the young players, who kept their nerve from their spot in what was a perfect shootout for the Magpies.

And the head coach was thrilled for hero Mark Gillespie, whose save to deny Bryan Gil's penalty turned out to be the decisive moment.

While pleased to win, the priority for Howe and Newcastle was always coming through the game without picking up any injuries.

Trippier was replaced after just 37 minutes, which raised concerns after his recent lay-off, but Howe revealed that change was planned before the game.

He said: "Everyone came through OK. Kieran's substitution was planned. We're just managing his minutes. Everyone else came through OK, we managed to get some young players on.

"Kieran is fine. The plan was to play him maybe 20, 25 minutes but it was more than that because he felt good and wanted to stay on."

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Alexander Isak cancelled out James Maddison's opener in the first half and both Howe and Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou made a string of changes in the second half.

Gillespie replaced Nick Pope with just three minutes to play and the 32-year-old, who hasn't made a competitive appearance for Newcastle's first team since 2020, was the hero from the spot.

Howe said: "The work this guy has put in this season has been incredible.

"Too often we talk about the guys who are playing and not those who aren't playing but contribute so much. Mark is one of those.

"His attitude is ridiculous every day. He's always there for the players and you need a goalkeeper who is going to be there and be as consistent as Mark is. I'm so pleased Mark got this experience. There are a lot of players like Mark within the squad who characterise our success."

Newcastle's penalties were scored by Joe White, Ben Parkinson, Amadou Diallo, Garang Kuol and Harrison Ashby - with Howe hailing his youngsters for their composure from the spot.

He said: "It was an unbelievable experience for the players. That's why we wanted to make the changes at the end, in part for the young players to experience that pressure. This was a huge moment for those guys. They all did well.

"It was a slower game than it would be normally. There was an understanding from both sets of players that neither wanted to go at full speed. Both clubs have had an incredibly long journey to get here.

"You have to take that in mind and all the different factors, there was a really good attitude from both sets of players. We're pleased to find a way to win, even if it is in a shootout."