Newcastle United star makes exciting claim after Everton win and praises Eddie Howe’s impact

Kieran Trippier has revealed his determination to help Newcastle United continue ‘competing at the top end of the table’ following Wednesday night’s narrow win over Everton.

Eddie Howe’s side made it six games unbeaten and made it preserved their unbeaten record at St James Park as Miguel Almiron’s stunning first-half strike was enough to see off the Toffees.  The result means the Magpies have only lost one of their opening 11 games of the season and head into Sunday’s visit to Tottenham Hotspur knowing a fifth win of the campaign could take them into the Champions League places.

The England defender admitted his side had not been at their best against Frank Lampard’s men but is eager to extend their impressive start to the season over the coming weeks.

He told Amazon Prime: “It was a massive win for us.  We’ve had a good start and we know we want to keep pushing up the league, keep competing at the top of the table and we didn’t perform at our best but we ground out the result.  It’s brilliant, ever since the gaffer has come here, it’s a really positive place to be.  We are performing well, the past couple of games, not really, but we are still getting the results we want so long may that continue.”

The mood on Tyneside is a complete contrast to the situation United found themselves in 12 months ago when thoughts of avoiding relegation were all that mattered after a disastrous start to the season.

Next month will mark the one-year anniversary of Eddie Howe’s appointment at St James Park and the former Bournemouth manager had made a major impact during the first 12 months of what United hope will be a long and successful reign at St James Park.  Trippier was Howe’s first signing of the January transfer window and he revealed his admiration for the man he worked under during his time at Burnley.

He said: “I’ve known the manager for many years now, I know what he demands and expects from his teams and I think it was really important that he had his first pre-season to stamp his authority down on how he wants to play.  The players we’ve brought in have added to that, we’ve added quality and I think it’s showing on the pitch and the direction we want to go in.”