EDDIE HOWE is hoping Joelinton could be available for Sunday’s trip to Tottenham, despite the Brazilian having limped out of Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Everton last night.

Joelinton was forced off at half-time at St James’ after suffering a knee injury during a challenge in the first half.

The midfielder was in considerable pain as he left the field at the interval, but Howe is hoping he has not suffered any significant damage and will give him every chance of proving his wellbeing ahead of Sunday’s trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“He (Joelinton) took a knock to his knee in a tackle,” said Howe. “We think it’s just a knock at this stage, so no twist and I don’t think there’s any injury to the joint. He was in pain and he couldn’t continue, but fingers crossed he’ll be okay.”

Howe watched his side claim their third win in the last four matches last night as Miguel Almiron’s superb first-half strike proved decisive.

The Paraguayan curled home from the corner of the 18-yard box to maintain his recent purple patch, and while his work rate and commitment have always made him a valuable member of the team, he has recently started to add goals to his repertoire.

“I’ve always been an admirer of Miggy,” said Howe. “He’s difficult to contain because he runs and he’s got that ability to make a lot of runs continually, which is quite rare at very high speed.

“The goal aspect? I believe you can help players get into better goalscoring positions. But to be fair to Miggy, some of the goals he’s scored haven’t really been about his position, they’ve been more about the execution of the finish. That was a prime example tonight. It was an incredible finish from a very difficult angle, and was all about the curl and speed at which he hit the ball.”

Newcastle remain unbeaten at St James’ Park this season, with Howe delighted that his players are once again turning their home ground into a fortress.

“Your home form is absolutely crucial to success and you want to win as many games as possible at home,” he said. “Home form is the bedrock of your season really. How have we done it? I don’t know that there’s one thing we’ve done.

“I just think we’ve tried to get the players playing in a really good atmosphere, and the supporters have given us that.”