Eddie Howe insisted he is enjoying the selection headache his Newcastle players have presented him after coming from behind against Wolves last time out.

Two goals in five minutes from Fabian Schar and Harvey Barnes moved the Magpies up to third in the early-season standings as they aim to return to the Champions League this season.

With Newcastle struggling with injuries for much of last season, Howe said that despite the difficulty of the decisions he has to make every week, it is part of being a head coach in the Premier League.

"Those are the headaches you want. Leaving Harvey out and other players in this game was very, very difficult but it what you're paid to do,” Howe said.

“All you want then is when the player enters the pitch to try and prove that he should try and start the next game.

"The fixture list is never easy, every game in the Premier League is always difficult. Four points from Wolves and Bournemouth is good and we go away to Fulham next."

Fulham, meanwhile, suffered a shock midweek exit in the Carabao Cup to Championship side Preston North End at Deepdale.

The Cottagers were beaten on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time, eventually being dumped out of the competition in unusual fashion, losing 16-15 after Timothy Castagne saw his penalty saved, with Ryan Ledson sending North End through.

Head coach Marco Silva was left ruing his sides missed opportunities during the encounter, and is hoping his players can find their clinical edge against the high-flying Magpies this weekend.

"I'm sure that we did enough during the 95 minutes to win the game," Silva told reporters after the 34-kick shootout.

"From the first minute, we took control of the game and I think we created enough chances... the crossbar, a lot of crosses, a lot of moments where we should've scored."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Fulham – Emile Smith-Rowe

Smith Rowe has made a positive start to his Fulham career, netting his second goal involvement since his move from Arsenal with his assist for Raul Jiminez’s goal against West Ham.

The 24-year-old also boasts an impressive record against the Magpies, winning four of the five games he has played against them (L1), scoring once.

Newcastle – Harvey Barnes

Barnes has either scored (two) or assisted (one) a goal in each of his last three Premier League appearances for Newcastle.

Only in January 2021 at Leicester has he registered a goal involvement in four consecutive games in the competition before.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Newcastle have enjoyed their recent visits to Craven Cottage, winning each of their last four away league games against Fulham, having previously lost six in a row before this.

The Magpies also boast an expected goals (xG) against total of 6.5 in the Premier League this season, but have conceded just three goals, with their difference of 3.5 between goals conceded and xG against the best in the division so far.

With 10 points (W3 D1), this is Newcastle’s best start to a Premier League campaign after four games since 1995-96 under Kevin Keegan (12 points) – the Magpies haven’t gone unbeaten in their opening five top-flight matches since 2011-12 under Alan Pardew (W2 D3). 

Fulham, meanwhile, are winless in their last eight Premier League meetings with Newcastle (D2 L6), losing each of the last five in a row.

Silva’s side have also struggled on home soil, having won just one of their last six Premier League home games (D2 L3), having won four of their previous six at Craven Cottage (D1 L1).

While Opta’s data-led simulations expected a draw between the two sides, none of Fulham’s 16 Premier League home games against Newcastle have finished level, with the Cottagers winning nine and losing seven. The only exact fixture to be played more without being drawn in the competition’s history is Everton v Fulham at Goodison Park (17).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Fulham – 34.7%

Draw – 25.7%

Newcastle – 39.7%

Gary O'Neil is confident Wolves will overachieve again in the Premier League this season despite falling to a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle on Sunday. 

Mario Lemina had given the hosts a half-time lead, only for Fabian Schar and Harvey Barnes' long-range efforts completing the turnaround for the Magpies. 

Wolves have now failed to win any of their opening four league games this term and occupy the final place in the bottom three. 

Their single point against Nottingham Forest makes this their joint-worst start to a Premier League campaign, along with 2003-04, when they were relegated in last place.

O'Neil's side have now also lost six of their last seven league games at Molineux, losing more games on home turf in 2024 than any other team in the top-flight (eight). 

But the Wolves head coach, who oversaw a 14th-place finish in his debut campaign at the helm last year, is confident his players will find their groove. 

"We have better depth, of course. The run is the run. The team should be judged on what they did for the whole of last season.

"I am sure we will overachieve what many people will expect of us this season.

"Everyone is desperate for our first win. That was close to being our best today.

"We have gone up against a side that have spent an awful lot of money and were in the Champions League.

"There are not a lot of teams that can go against Newcastle and look the most likely to win."

There were positives for O'Neil to take from the defeat, however, most notably the performance of new addition Andre in central midfield. 

The Brazilian completed all 40 of his passes against Newcastle, the most on record by a player on their first ever Premier League start without misplacing one (since 2003-04).

"Very good, he's a good player obviously. New system today with the three midfielders in. An awful lot of positives," O'Neil said. 

"Of course the only positives that people are interested in is points.

"From my point of view, to have come up with a new structure for the team and for it to look how it did against Newcastle was a big plus for us."

Eddie Howe believes Newcastle took a huge step in the right direction as they continued their strong start to the Premier League season with a comeback victory over Wolves. 

Mario Lemina had given the visitors a half-time lead, but two goals in five minutes from Fabian Schar and Harvey Barnes saw the Magpies move up to third in the early-season standings. 

Having taken 10 points from their first four games, Newcastle have now made their best start to a Premier League campaign since the 1995-96 season, when they won each of their opening four matches under Kevin Keegan.

Newcastle's powers of recovery have been evident already this season, with the Magpies picking up four points from losing positions so far, with only Manchester City (six) recovering more. 

And with rumours of unrest behind the scenes at St. James' Park circulating, Howe acknowledged the magnitude of the triumph as they aim to return to the Champions League places this year. 

"Massive win for us. Away from home, we have questions to answer and that is a big step forward for us," Howe said. 

"I think we are stepping forward in terms of our performances. I think it was a step in the right direction.

"We can improve in lots of different aspects and that is what we are going to be working on this week. We are a really tight-knit group and we have to remain that way."

But the shift in momentum during the encounter at Molineux came after the break, when Howe made three changes to try and alter his side's fortunes. 

Alexander Isak and Sean Longstaff were among those to be replaced, making way for goalscorer Barnes and Sandro Tonali, with the Magpies head coach detailing the reasons behind his decision. 

"I wasn't totally satisfied and the lads know they have to perform. We have the ability to make those changes," Howe stated.

"I have to credit the players who came on. Everyone played their part and it is a massive win.

"I got the sense [of urgency] at the start of the half and then there was bit of a lull and Fabian's goal injected confidence.

"It took a moment of real class from Harvey and then we had cramp and all of those battling qualities at the end to get over the line."

Two goals in five second-half minutes from Fabian Schar and Harvey Barnes saw Newcastle come from behind to stun Wolves with a 2-1 win at Molineux on Sunday.

Mario Lemina had given the hosts the lead after rounding off a free-flowing counterattack late in the first half, sweeping home following a clever dummy from Joao Gomes.

Newcastle had earlier struck the post through Anthony Gordon, but Eddie Howe's men struggled to carve out any clear-cut chances before a series of half-time changes prompted an improvement.

Schar’s deflected strike levelled the scores with 15 minutes to play, then substitute Barnes went one better by curling a stunning effort beyond Sam Johnstone to secure the triumph.

The result keeps Wolves in the bottom three with just a single point, while Newcastle move up to third with 10, ahead of their meeting with Fulham next week. 

Data Debrief: Magpies continue to soar

With 10 points after four games, Newcastle have made their best start to a Premier League campaign since the 1995-96 season, when they won each of their opening four matches under Kevin Keegan.

But the afternoon belonged to Schar and Barnes, with the Magpies scoring two goals from outside the box in the same Premier League game for the first time since April 2018 vs Leicester City (Ayoze Perez and Jonjo Shelvey).

Barnes has now been directly involved in 11 goals in his 25 Premier League appearances for Newcastle (seven goals and four assists), averaging a goal or assist every 87 minutes of league action for the Magpies.

Schar's strike from distance saw him net his fourth goal from outside the box since his Newcastle debut in 2018, more than any centre back in the competition.

Eddie Howe believes Newcastle are yet to hit "top gear" this season despite taking seven points from their first three Premier League games, as they look to continue that strong start against Wolves at Molineux.

Newcastle made light of Fabian Schar's red card to beat Southampton on the opening matchday, then downed Tottenham 2-1 after earning a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.

Those results have the Magpies fifth in the early-season standings, yet Howe still sees room for improvement as far as their performance levels are concerned.

Newcastle have faced a Premier League-high 54 shots in 2024-25, with their average of 18 shots conceded per game their highest on record in a single campaign (since 2003-04).

At Friday's pre-match press conference, Howe said: "We've had some very good results, we're really pleased with the start we have made in what is a difficult league.

"Performance-wise, we haven't hit top gear. We are going into a spell where we have difficult games away from home.

"It's been a very tough start for Wolves. They played very well in their last game against Nottingham Forest.

"They're always tough opponents, I've got lot of respect for Gary O'Neil and the job he has done there. He is very tactically astute so we will be prepared for a tough game."

Wolves, meanwhile, needed three games to pick up their first point of the season in a 1-1 draw with Forest, having opened with defeats to Arsenal (2-0) and Chelsea (6-2).

Boss O'Neil expects a difficult test against a team with plenty of attacking talent, hailing Magpies forward Alexander Isak as one of the best in the league.

"They have an abundance of quality attacking players. Isak is one of the best number nines in the league for me, so they are a team that are going to test us, definitely," O'Neil said.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to Molineux, getting back to the group that we know we're going to work with from now until January, at least, and seeing if we can start to upset a few people like we like we managed to last season."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Wolves – Andre

Wolves harbour a doubt over captain Mario Lemina ahead of Sunday's game, which could mean Andre is called upon for his full debut after joining from Fluminense.

Between his Serie A debut in September 2020 and his departure, Andre ranked first for possession won (756) and successful passes (6,574) in the Brazilian top flight, as well as second for touches (8,440) and fourth for dribbles completed (164).

Newcastle – Alexander Isak

Isak has been directly involved in 18 goals in his last 20 Premier League appearances (15 goals, three assists). 

Since the first game in that run (on Boxing Day last year), only Erling Haaland (20) and Cole Palmer (17) have scored more than the Swede (15) in the competition.

MATCH PREDICTION – NEWCASTLE WIN

Entertainment should be a given at Molineux, where both teams have scored in all nine previous Premier League meetings between Wolves and Newcastle.

It is the most-played specific fixture in the competition's history to never feature a clean sheet, while Newcastle have only failed to score once in their last 23 Premier League matches – in a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace in April.

No Premier League team is on a longer current run without a shutout than Wolves, meanwhile, with O'Neil's men conceding in each of their last 15 matches.

Wolves have only won one of their last 13 league games, drawing three and losing nine, and are winless in their last six (one draw, five losses). At home, they have lost five of their last six (one win), having only lost four of their previous 19 (11 wins, four draws).

Newcastle have won three of their last five Premier League games against Wolves, drawing the other two, and they enter Sunday's match as favourites.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Wolves – 30.3%

Newcastle – 44.5%

Draw – 25.1% 

Jamal Lewis has become the first British player to sign for Sao Paulo as his season-long loan move from Newcastle United was confirmed on Tuesday. 

Lewis, who spent last season with Watford in the Championship, has signed with the Brazilian side for the upcoming campaign with a view to make the move permanent.

The Northern Ireland international made 36 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle following his £15million move from Norwich in 2020. 

But Lewis fell quickly out of favour, and during the 2021-22 Premier League season, was even omitted from the 25-player squad list for the remainder of the term.

The 26-year-old's final appearance for the Magpies came as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the 2023, but he expressed his excitement about his new chapter.

"When I heard about this opportunity, I told my manager straight away that I'd like to come to Brazil," Lewis said in a statement on Sao Paulo's website.

"It's an honour to play for a giant like Sao Paulo and be the first British player in the club's history.

"It's an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I'm looking forward to meeting the fans and contributing to the team."

The Premier League takes its first break for international fixtures over the next two weeks.

But we had plenty of thrills and spills on matchday three.

Everton were 2-0 up in the 87th minute against Bournemouth on Saturday, only for Sean Dyche's team to lose 3-2. Manchester City continued their perfect start, while Arsenal were held by Brighton, with Declan Rice sent off.

On Sunday, Newcastle United overcame Tottenham and Chelsea drew with Crystal Palace, while the headline fixture of the weekend saw Liverpool hammer Manchester United.

But which teams were lucky, and unlucky, on MD3?

Lucky winners: Bournemouth

Andoni Iraola claimed Bournemouth were fortunate to come from behind and beat Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park. The Toffees were leading by 2+ goals until the 87th minute – the latest a team has ever been 2+ goals ahead in a game they've gone on to lose in Premier League history.

The full-time stats perhaps suggest a different version of events to Iraola's take. Bournemouth finished with a higher expected goals (xG) than Everton (2.22 to 1.97) while having 17 shots to the hosts' 18.

But up until late on, Everton had complete control. Indeed, as of the 80th minute, Sean Dyche's team had mustered 18 shots, 11 more than Bournemouth.

And just to hammer that home, 1.79 of Bournemouth's 2.22 xG came from the 81st minute onwards. While the Cherries deserve credit for a smash-and-grab, it is fair to say that Everton, who had five big chances but scored just two of them, will have been left scratching their heads as to how they capitulated.

Unlucky losers: Chelsea

Okay, so technically, Chelsea are not 'losers' - they drew 1-1 with Palace on Sunday.

But, based on the metrics, they were extremely unfortunate not to beat Oliver Glasner's team.

Chelsea had 13 shots and accumulated 2.4 xG, which was the third highest across the weekend's games, behind Brentford (2.78) and Man City (3.0), albeit a huge chunk of it came from Nicolas Jackson's close-range finish.

Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was in fantastic form, making some excellent saves to deny Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer and coming away with a goals prevented figure of 1.76, and ultimately, Eberechi Eze's stunner, which had an xG of just 0.06, was enough to claim a share of the spoils and frustrate Enzo Maresca.

Lucky winners: Newcastle United

Newcastle beat Spurs 2-1 at St James' Park, and Eddie Howe's team showed how clinical they can be.

They had nine shots, 11 fewer than Tottenham, but actually amassed a higher xG total (1.83 to 1.26), showing that the opportunities they created were quality ones.

Indeed, they converted both of their big chances, meaning they join Leicester City (1/1) as the only other team from the weekend to register a 100% big chance conversion rate.

Unlucky losers: Arsenal

Like Chelsea, Arsenal drew, but based on the underlying metrics, and even though they went down to 10 men when Declan Rice was sent off, they could be considered unfortunate not to have beaten Brighton.

Mikel Arteta's team finished with an xG of 2.14, the fifth-highest total from the weekend, while also creating five big opportunities, from which players would have been anticipated to do better, only for the Gunners to miss four of them.

On the flip side, Arsenal did face 22 shots going the other way, albeit those attempts did not account for a high xG (1.76).

Eddie Howe paid tribute to Newcastle United's fans for their support of Sandro Tonali, who made his Premier League return in the 2-1 win over Tottenham.

Tonali came on as a 68th-minute substitute for his first league appearance since serving a 10-month ban for breaching betting regulations.

Many Italy-themed flags were on display before the game in support of the midfielder, who also appeared from the bench in the midweek Carabao Cup clash with Nottingham Forest, while a banner read: 'Midfield maestro from Milano'.

And Howe was delighted by the Toon Army's response on the day when Alexander Isak's 78th-minute strike settled the contest.

"I didn't know that was going to happen with the wall of flags, so it was a brilliant surprise," Howe said. "Visually, it was incredible.

"Sandro was emotional and his performance when he came on was outstanding. It was just amazing from the fans, it does not surprise me, but it's so important that the relationship between players and supporters is so strong.

"It was very different to [him coming on in the] Nottingham Forest game. We were in need of a spark and I thought he gave us that."

Howe also spoke of his desire to put what was a relatively subdued transfer window behind Newcastle, with the Magpies notably failing with several bids to land Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi.

"I think it's always important to try to build momentum in your season, and it's been a turbulent time for the club off the pitch throughout this last transfer window," he added.

"But that's shut now, so hopefully we can just concentrate on the football and get the players playing as well as they can."

Meanwhile, matchwinner Isak also saluted Newcastle's supporters after opening his account for the campaign to secure all three points.

"It is my first goal for the season so it's a good feeling to score and get the win," he told Sky Sports.

"Generally, we weren't expecting to have too much of the ball. We wanted to be dangerous on the counter-attack. It wasn't the most beautiful game from our side, but we defended really well and scored two, so that's good.

"We've always felt like we have that extra energy at home. We have spoken about using that. In the second half, when we had a bit of a dip in our performance, we got some energy. Small changes made a big difference and really helped us get the win."

Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham's defeat to Newcastle United epitomised the "story of our season so far", as his side failed to turn their superiorty into three points.

Spurs went down 2-1 at St James' Park, despite enjoying 66% of the possession and registering 20 shots to their opponents' nine.

Dan Burn's own goal cancelled out Harvey Barnes' first-half effort, but the visitors were made to pay for their profligacy when Alexander Isak struck the winner 12 minutes from time.

Postecoglou was left frustrated by the nature of the defeat - Tottenham's fourth in six Premier League away games - but he is confident their fortunes will turn around with similarly dominant performances.

"Story of our season so far really," he told BBC Match of the Day. "We played well and controlled the game for the most part. They were a threat in transition, but we still had enough chances to win the game comfortably.

"I thought we were handling the transitions. The goal we conceded in the second half was sloppy and we lost focus. The game should have been put to bed a lot longer before that.

"What I know is if we continue to play like that, we will get our rewards. It's not an easy place to come. The way we controlled the game was really pleasing. It's three good performances, but not the results that reflect that."

"Really disappointed," Johnson added on Sky Sports. "I think in the first half, we were decent and created a few chances. Our general play wasn't too bad.

"In the second half we came out well and pushed them back. It's about doing what we can with the chances we created. We have to be more clinical.

"I definitely think it's just responsibility on us guys. We are getting into good areas. It's probably our final ball. It's about creating the right chance.

"There were a few opportunities today where we could have shot and not passed, then others when we could have passed and not shot."

Alexander Isak’s late strike punished a wasteful Tottenham Hotspur display as Newcastle United emerged 2-1 winners in an enthralling encounter at St. James’ Park.

The hosts took the lead against the run of play in the 37th minute as Harvey Barnes struck inside the box to give the Magpies a half-time advantage.

After dominating for much of the game, Spurs were gifted their just rewards in the second half as substitute Brennan Johnson saw his effort turned home by Dan Burn.

But Isak struck the decisive blow 12 minutes from time with a simple finish to hand Eddie Howe’s side another victory on home soil this term.

Newcastle’s triumph sees them maintain their unbeaten start to the season and go fourth in the early standings, meanwhile, Spurs sit 10th, just inside the top half. 

Data Debrief: Isak off the mark in smash and grab

Newcastle were largely second best in the encounter, registering just nine shots compared to Spurs' 20, with Isak notching the decisive blow in the contest.

Since the start of last season, the Swede has scored 15 Premier League goals at St. James’ Park, with only Erling Haaland (18 at Etihad Stadium) and Cole Palmer (16 at Stamford Bridge) scoring more at a single venue in this time.

It was the Magpies' 26th Premier League victory over Tottenham, their joint-most against a single opponent in the competition (also 26 v Aston Villa), and have now won their first two home matches of a league season for the first time since the 2009-10 Championship campaign.

Spurs, however, have now lost four of their last six away Premier League games (W1 D1), more than their first 15 on the road under Ange Postecoglou combined (W6 D6 L3).

Eddie Howe insists Newcastle United’s dream of regular success may take a little longer than anticipated after a disappointing transfer window.

After the Magpies’ Saudi-backed takeover in 2021, Amanda Staveley claimed they could win a first Premier League title within 10 years of that.

But Newcastle’s failed pursuit of Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi has shown where they are in the market, welcoming just five new faces at St James’ Park and keeping much of the squad that missed out on European football last year.

And ahead of this weekend’s meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, Howe urged supporters to trust the process and back the team when they take to the pitch on Sunday.

"I don't think the dream dies, necessarily, but I think it takes a lot longer,” Howe said.

"We've got to build our revenue streams, that is the biggest thing. We've got to bring more money into the football club, however we do that - through player sales, through sponsorship, through loads of various things.

"That's the big thing that we need to focus on now for the next, probably, 10 years.

"Whether I'm lucky enough to see any of that, who knows? But the dream is not over, it's just going to take a lot, lot longer."

Tottenham, meanwhile, will be looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the season after cruising to a 4-0 win over Everton in their first home game of the campaign.

Ange Postecoglou is aiming to improve on Spurs’ fifth-placed finish last term that secured them Europa League football.

Spurs discovered their opponents in the new format of the competition on Friday, with a reunion with Jose Mourinho on the cards, while Postecoglou returns north of the border to face old foes Rangers.

And the Spurs boss believes the new format will allow his players to build a rhythm throughout the Premier League campaign due to the competitive nature of the tournament this year.

"It allows us to get into a rhythm of having two games a week until January pretty much. I much prefer having a programme now as opposed to last year.

“The new format is interesting, there will be less 'dead rubbers' in European football which can't be a bad thing.

"It's a tough game, they have got some outstanding players who are well coached. It's going to be a great challenge for us."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Newcastle – Alexander Isak

Alexander Isak has enjoyed Spurs’ visits to St James’ Park recently, scoring twice in both of his two Premier League home games against Tottenham.

Only two players have scored two or more goals in three consecutive home appearances against a club in the competition – Alan Shearer vs Everton (1992 to 1994) and Chris Sutton vs Liverpool (1994 to 1996).

Tottenham – James Maddison

James Maddison has provided an assist in four of his last five Premier League games, including both matches so far this season for Postecoglou’s side.

No Spurs player has ever assisted a goal in each of their first three games in a single campaign before.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Despite Opta’s data-led simulations predicting a close encounter in the North East, it has been Newcastle who have had the better of the results in recent years.

The Magpies have won three of their last four Premier League meetings with Spurs (L1), as many as in their previous 13 (D2 L8). Three of their last five league victories against Spurs have been by at least a four-goal margin.

Newcastle have also scored at least once in each of their last 20 Premier League home games, scoring with their only attempt on target in their last such match against Southampton. Only once have they had a longer scoring streak at St James’ Park in the competition, going 24 games between January 1995 and February 1996.

Tottenham have lost their last two Premier League away games against Newcastle by an aggregate score of 10-1. They’d only lost two of their previous 11 such visits to St James’ Park (W6 D3).

But having won four of their first six Premier League away games last season (D2), Spurs have now won just three of their last 14 on the road (D5 L6).

But expect goals on Sunday. Newcastle v Tottenham is the most played fixture in Premier League history to never finish 0-0 (58 games). Only Liverpool v Tottenham (191) and Arsenal v Liverpool (190) have seen more goals than this in the competition (186), while there have been 34 goals in the last seven meetings alone (4.9 per game).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Newcastle – 38.7%

Draw – 23.6%

Tottenham – 37.7%

Kieran Trippier has announced his retirement from international football.

The 33-year-old was handed his debut by Gareth Southgate against France in June 2017 and represented his national side 54 times.

That includes six appearances in the Three Lions' run to the final of Euro 2024.

The Newcastle United right back played in four major tournaments and scored England's opening goal during their 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia in 2018.

In a statement on Instagram, Trippier said: "I never thought as a young lad from Bury that I would play for my country let alone achieve 54 caps.

"It's been one of the biggest honours of my life to represent my country at four major tournaments.

"Thank you to all my team-mates - we have had some very special moments reaching two Euro finals, and a World Cup semi-final and I am sure in the future this group of players will win a major tournament."

Trippier made 45 starts for his country and supplied five assists.

Trippier made his first start of the season for Newcastle in Wednesday evening's EFL Cup shootout win over Nottingham Forest, but there is still uncertainty over his future, with the transfer window closing on Friday.

Eddie Howe reiterated his desire for him to stay, saying: "I don't want to weaken the squad. We are looking to do business the other way and not lose our best players."

Newcastle United defeated Nottingham Forest 4-3 on penalties to book their place in the third round of the EFL Cup after a 1-1 draw at the City Ground.

Sean Longstaff struck the winning penalty after Taiwo Awoniyi blazed over for the home side.

Debutant Carlos Miguel had earlier saved from Joelinton to hand Forest the early advantage in the shootout but Ibrahim Sangare struck the crossbar to bring Newcastle back into the shootout.

Joe Willock’s goal, one of the earliest in the competition’s history, had handed Eddie Howe, who handed a start to Sandro Tonali following his return from a long ban, a dream start in normal time.

Forest improved markedly after the break and equalised through Jota Silva’s thumping effort.

The visitors looked the likelier to score towards the end of the tie, with Dan Burn going close from a corner and Harvey Barnes hitting the side netting with a thrashing effort.

Despite Forest holding the advantage in the shootout with Miguel's save, it was later squandered by poor misses from Sangare and especially Awoniyi, leaving Longstaff to knock home the winning penalty for the Magpies.

Data Debrief: Willock's goal tough to beat

Willock's goal 18 seconds into the match is, as would probably be expected, the quickest goal in the EFL Cup this season so far.

Newcastle got it done the hard way after their rapid start, though Howe will no doubt feel his team were the better side, seeing them have more shots (14 to 12) and accumulated over double the amount of expected goals (xG), with 1.92 to Forest's 0.91.

Liam and Noel Gallagher have finally settled their differences to reunite Oasis next year, though their allegiances towards Manchester City have never altered.

Manchester's great duo are, after years of wait, heading back to England's biggest stages, with the news announced on Tuesday to confirm their comeback as definitely, not maybe.

Having last played at V Festival in late August 2009, the pair split just before their beloved City fired to centre stage, rising from the third tier to dominate the Premier League since the brothers' ill-tempered farewell.

With eight Premier League titles, one Champions League crown, three FA Cup wins and six EFL Cup successes, City have transformed their fortunes since Oasis' split.

Here, we unpick the data behind City's success, watching rivals Manchester United Slide Away from the top spot for the city's bragging rights since the Gallaghers parted ways on August 22, 2009.

Champion Supernova

City have lifted eight Premier League titles since Oasis' final performance, winning a massive 1,252 points across that period – 152 more than nearest challengers Liverpool in the same timeframe.

That points tally is also 163 more than neighbours United, with Supersonic City's 385 top-flight wins (219 at home, 166 away) in the aforementioned span far greater than second-placed Liverpool's 322.

The four-in-a-row champions have also managed 1,306 goals, a total that Liverpool (1,112), Arsenal (1,074), Chelsea (1,044) and Man Utd (1,008) can get nowhere near.

Pep's Masterplan

Pep Guardiola may be the only man in Manchester able to rival the Gallagher's fame, with the City boss leading his side to unprecedented heights since his arrival in England eight years ago.

In the same Oasis-less period, Guardiola's 227 Premier League wins are the most of any City manager, ahead of Roberto Mancini (82), Manuel Pellegrini (70), Mark Hughes (five) and caretaker Brian Kidd (one).

That dominance owes to the fact Guardiola is the longest-serving City boss of the span, though his winning percentage of 74% is once again greater than nearest rivals, Mancini (62%) and Pellegrini (61%).

Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Newcastle

Some Might Say no team can keep up with City in the Premier League, but Newcastle United are the side to have struggled most with the Oasis-stricken blues.

Man City have defeated Newcastle 22 times in the Premier League since that fateful last Oasis performance in 2009, suggesting the Magpies are at least Half The World Away from the Citizens' quality.

As Newcastle's hopes of a rare win over City appear to have faded away Little by Little, West Ham have also lost 21 games in that period against the Manchester club, with Villa third on 18 defeats.

Whatever the other teams have struggled with, Middlesbrough – now in the Championship – have suffered no such issues, remaining as the only Premier League side to have not lost against City in the period (two draws in two matches).

Gundowall

Ilkay Gundogan was, at least in jest, said to have played a part in Oasis' reunion after the same Gallagher brothers attempted to lure the Germany midfielder back to the Etihad Stadium.

His 44 goals for City in the period without Oasis rank him 11th on the list of Premier League scorers for the club, which is headed by Argentina's Rock 'N' Roll Star Sergio Aguero, on 184.

The striker's tally is more than double his nearest competitor, Raheem Sterling (91), who makes up the top five with Kevin De Bruyne (69), Erling Haaland (67) and Yaya Toure (62).

As for appearances, former midfielder David Silva answered City's call the most to Stand by Me, racking up 309 league appearances – ahead of Aguero, who is just behind on 275.

Liam and Noel Gallagher have finally settled their differences to reunite Oasis next year, though their allegiances towards Manchester City have never altered.

Manchester's great duo are, after years of wait, heading back to England's biggest stages, with the news announced on Tuesday to confirm their comeback as definitely, not maybe.

Having last played at V Festival in late August 2009, the pair split just before their beloved City fired to centre stage, rising from the third tier to dominate the Premier League since the brothers' ill-tempered farewell.

With eight Premier League titles, one Champions League crown, three FA Cup wins and six EFL Cup successes, City have transformed their fortunes since Oasis' split.

Here, we unpick the data behind City's success, watching rivals Manchester United Slide Away from the top spot for the city's bragging rights since the Gallaghers parted ways on August 22, 2009.

Champion Supernova

City have lifted eight Premier League titles since Oasis' final performance, winning a massive 1,252 points across that period – 152 more than nearest challengers Liverpool in the same timeframe.

That points tally is also 163 more than neighbours United, with Supersonic City's 385 top-flight wins (219 at home, 166 away) in the aforementioned span far greater than second-placed Liverpool's 322.

The four-in-a-row champions have also managed 1,306 goals, a total that Liverpool (1,112), Arsenal (1,074), Chelsea (1,044) and Man Utd (1,008) can get nowhere near.

Pep's Masterplan

Pep Guardiola may be the only man in Manchester able to rival the Gallagher's fame, with the City boss leading his side to unprecedented heights since his arrival in England eight years ago.

In the same Oasis-less period, Guardiola's 227 Premier League wins are the most of any City manager, ahead of Roberto Mancini (82), Manuel Pellegrini (70), Mark Hughes (five) and caretaker Brian Kidd (one).

That dominance owes to the fact Guardiola is the longest-serving City boss of the span, though his winning percentage of 74% is once again greater than nearest rivals, Mancini (62%) and Pellegrini (61%).

Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Newcastle

Some Might Say no team can keep up with City in the Premier League, but Newcastle United are the side to have struggled most with the Oasis-stricken blues.

Man City have defeated Newcastle 22 times in the Premier League since that fateful last Oasis performance in 2009, suggesting the Magpies are at least Half The World Away from the Citizens' quality.

As Newcastle's hopes of a rare win over City appear to have faded away Little by Little, West Ham have also lost 21 games in that period against the Manchester club, with Villa third on 18 defeats.

Whatever the other teams have struggled with, Middlesbrough – now in the Championship – have suffered no such issues, remaining as the only Premier League side to have not lost against City in the period (two draws in two matches).

Gundowall

Ilkay Gundogan was, at least in jest, said to have played a part in Oasis' reunion after the same Gallagher brothers attempted to lure the Germany midfielder back to the Etihad Stadium.

His 44 goals for City in the period without Oasis rank him 11th on the list of Premier League scorers for the club, which is headed by Argentina's Rock 'N' Roll Star Sergio Aguero, on 184.

The striker's tally is more than double his nearest competitor, Raheem Sterling (91), who makes up the top five with Kevin De Bruyne (69), Erling Haaland (67) and Yaya Toure (62).

As for appearances, former midfielder David Silva answered City's call the most to Stand by Me, racking up 309 league appearances – ahead of Aguero, who is just behind on 275.