Newcastle United sealed a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on an emotional night on Tyneside
07:00, 06 Nov 2025Updated 07:18, 06 Nov 2025
Fans of Athletic Club arrive prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Newcastle United FC and Athletic Club at St James’ Park on November 05, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe admits that Dan Burn’s header was no fluke with the Leazes End wonder goal the key moment on the way to three Champions League points.
The 6ft 7in centre-back had spoken about team-mates picking and choosing games when to perform but popped up with a strike that set the standards against Athletic Bilbao. The La Liga side did rally somewhat on a balmy Tyneside night, however, class showed and Howe’s team got the job done early in the second half thanks to Joelinton.
But with set-piece coach Martin Mark slowly making an impression on Tyneside, the hope must now be that the Burn header, from a perfectly executed free-kick from Kieran Trippier, is now a sign of things to come. It certainly wasn’t an off the cuff moment or Trippier spotting a defensive switch off in the heat of the moment.
Howe, who was asked if Burn’s header was better than the Carabao Cup final, said afterwards: “It was a training ground move so well done to all the coaches involved in that. It was a well-worked routine.
“Probably technically it is (better than Wembley) but it will be very difficult for him to do something as magical and memorable as that.
But in terms of a technical header, that was an incredible finish. It was a really well-worked routine. We really need to score more from set-plays. Hopefully that’s a good start for us.”
With only three goals from set-plays this season in the Premier League, despite Mark’s arrival from FC Midtjylland, there is room for improvement. But Newcastle will take encouragement from this.
Lewis Hall gets valuable minutes in the bank
It was just 24 minutes and 16 touches, but Lewis Hall made a welcome return to the pitch after a hamstring injury suffered earlier in the Champions League campaign.
The England youngster had missed eight matches following the muscle problem first picked up in the 4-0 win over Union SG, and Howe has wrapped him cotton wool in recent weeks. Hall has been back in training a while but the decision was made not to risk him.
But at 2-0 up against Athletic Bilbao it felt like the perfect moment for Hall. Howe reflected: “It was my plan to try to give him minutes. You can never make that guarantee, but it was in my mind to use him today; it was in my mind not to use him at West Ham because he’d only had one training session and he’s worked so hard to get back, we don’t want to lose him now having done all the hard work.
“I thought it was the right time to introduce him. I thought he played very well, I was really pleased with him.
“We still have to have a level of caution to how much he can play at the moment, but positive steps for him trying to find his rhythm again and all the pitch dimensions and geography that he needs to produce his best performances.”
Athletic Bilbao supporters on the Bigg Market (Image: Chronicle Live)The streets won’t forget Bilbao fans
There were incredible scenes before the game as the Bigg Market was taken over by Athletic Bilbao supporters and Newcastle fans. They stood side by side and shared their passion for football and pre-match beers.
And in a world that contains so many upsetting scenes these days, it was lovely to see. As the fans moved up to St James’ Park there wasn’t any danger of trouble and the travelling Basque army sang their hearts out long after the final whistle.
The truth was this is what football should be about, and while that is impossible because of intense local rivalries sometimes, now and again it is good to be shown what can be done.
As the La Liga side left St James’ they posted a message on their X account that read: “Good game, wor friends. An honour to play at St. James’ Park again. Best of luck with the rest of your season.”
As Newcastle fans left the Leazes and Level 7 they also applauded their counterparts for contributing to an amazing night and atmosphere.
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Newcastle United continue their UEFA Champions League campaign as they host Athletic Bilbao on November 5. Fans can watch the game on the TNT Sports Prime Video channel.
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