Eddie Howe now names the player who gave Newcastle a ‘spark’ vs Tottenham

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Newcastle United go into the international break unbeaten.

While there are still questions to answer as to why Newcastle endured such a difficult transfer window and one slammed by club legend Alan Shearer, matters on the pitch are going reasonably well.

Eddie Howe’s side may not have been at their best for much of their opening four games of the season but are unbeaten in the Premier League and through to the next round of the Carabao Cup, where they have a favourable-looking trip to Wimbledon to navigate.

Things could – and previously have been – an awful lot worse.

New signings would of course have been a positive but Sunday’s 2-1 win over Tottenham should at least improve the mood heading into the break.

It was not particularly pretty at times but the win over Spurs is a crucial one and Howe was delighted for a certain Sandro Tonali.

Eddie Howe praises Sandro Tonali for giving Newcastle a spark vs Tottenham

The Italian retuned to the pitch earlier this week for the trip to Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup and came on for Sean Longstaff in the second-half on Sunday.

Tonali was the subject of a banner from Wor Flags hailing his return and Howe was pleased both with that and the midfielder’s performance.

“I didn’t know that was going to happen with the wall of flags so it was a brilliant surprise – visually it was incredible,” said Howe (via BBC Sport’s LIVE blog).

“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.”

Newcastle are finding internal solutions after transfer nightmare

Tonali of course will need to prove he’s been worth the wait and these are still early days in the second chapter of his Newcastle career.

Still, they are at least promising, having impressed against Forest too.

With Harvey Barnes making an impact this season too following an injury-hit campaign last time out, having them both available will be a major boost for Howe.

They provide more options, which should help negate for the lack of many new faces.