Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishNewcastle United march on. Monday’s 3-0 win at Leicester City was a fourth consecutive win in all competitions, sent the club into the Champions League places, and was as comprehensive a victory as they come.Leicester were not so much put to bed as banged over the head with a shovel. Three first-half goals, two for Jacob Murphy and one for Harvey Barnes, ended the game as a contest after just over 30 minutes.Murphy’s and Newcastle’s second, in particular, was Leicester’s greatest indignity. It was somehow more humiliating for Fabian Schar’s 55-yard lob of Mads Hermansen to rattle off the crossbar and into Murphy’s path for the winger to joyfully smash home.The rest of the game was drab, but what does that matter? Newcastle’s team has already delivered memories to last a generation over the past month.All that really matters, from here until May, is consistent point accumulation and a place in the Champions League.And on that point, one major factor is in their favour — Newcastle are the best side in the Premier League at managing game state.Take holding onto leads. Newcastle are no stranger to going ahead early — they have scored three times in the opening two minutes of games this season. They never looked in any danger of relinquishing that lead at the King Power Stadium, but this is part of a wider trend, and one which has stood up against better teams than Leicester.In 2024-25, Newcastle have dropped the fewest points from winning positions in the Premier League — just seven.Only one team in Europe’s top four leagues, Athletic Club (six), can better them.Newcastle have gone ahead on 19 occasions, and won 16 of those, with the sole defeat coming against Fulham back in February.In total, Newcastle have converted over 84 per cent of their leads into wins. Again, that is the highest total in the league — Newcastle and Liverpool (81.5 per cent) are well clear of next best Crystal Palace (73.4 per cent).When running through Newcastle’s ledger at the end of the season, it is the tight wins, the 1-0s and 2-1s, that will dictate whether they make the Champions League. Newcastle may have plenty of ugly wins, but the thing that really matters is that they are a stranger to ugly draws.And just as it is important to hold onto leads when ahead, Newcastle have shown a gritty ability to earn points from losing positions.This season, Newcastle have earned 18 points after going behind — tied for second-most in the league with Aston Villa, and only behind Liverpool (19). High-profile examples, in 2025 alone, include the 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest, 3-1 victory at Southampton, and 2-1 triumph at Tottenham Hotspur.That tally includes 13 points salvaged away from home, the most in the division — though there was no need for this at Leicester, who have not scored at the King Power since December 8.It is, however, some departure from last season. The equivalent figure, for both home and away, was just 10 points — 15th in the league.You would have to go back 23 years — to Sir Bobby Robson’s squad of 2001-02 — to find a Newcastle side who managed to claw back more points from losing positions. That season, they earned back a scarcely believable 34 points, almost double the next-highest in the league (Arsenal, with 18). It underscores Robson’s man-management abilities — and the tactical nous that his soft skills could overshadow.But after the cup win three weeks ago, Robson is the company that Eddie Howe now keeps on Newcastle’s managerial Mount Rushmore.
Howe’s side have moved up into fifth in the table (Carl Recine/Getty Images)So what has been behind Newcastle’s game-state improvement?One factor is availability — last season, Howe’s ability to make changes in-game was severely limited by his bench. In one Champions League game at Borussia Dortmund, for example, he could name just eight replacements from a possible 11, including two uncapped academy prospects.Another is experience — in Nick Pope, Schar, Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, and Alexander Isak, Newcastle possess a spine that knows how to see out victories.“We haven’t got a youthful group,” Howe said. “We have a lot of players that have been through various situations in their careers. With so few games to go in such a big competition, a lot of clubs fighting for Champions League places, I don’t think we take anything for granted.”And then there is Howe himself. The Englishman has continued to develop as a manager with his in-game adjustments, typically favouring subtle tweaks in structure over wholesale changes in personnel. That has played some part. But as a coach, his greatest ability is improving players on the training pitch — and that too has its role.“Don’t think these statistics are lost on me,” said Howe. “We’ve got an experienced group, so I think we have the ability to manage situations pretty well. It’s a great thing to have the ability, especially, to come back, which is something we do a bit of work on in training.“And we have different philosophies to try and come back in games, because that ability means you’re never out of a match. You’ve got the consistent ability to win. So I think that’s the one I treasure the most.”What is that training work? Howe replies with a smile.“That’s for me to know.”(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
