EDDIE HOWE is confident Kieran Trippier will bounce back from his difficult evening against Everton – and feels it would be grossly unfair to pin the blame for Newcastle’s three-goal defeat at Goodison Park onto the full-back.

Trippier has barely put a foot wrong since moving to Tyneside from Atletico Madrid, but he erred badly on two separate occasions in the closing stages of last night game, conceding possession to Dwight McNeil as the winger opened the scoring and giving the ball away again seven minutes later to enable Jack Harrison to cross for Abdoulaye Doucoure to score Everton’s second goal.

Given his importance both on and off the field, there is no question of the 33-year-old losing his place when Newcastle return to action against Tottenham on Sunday, with Howe keen to downplay the significance of his midweek mistakes.

“Kieran’s been absolutely magnificent since he signed for the football club,” said the Magpies boss, after Newcastle conceded three goals in the final 11 minutes to crash to defeat on Merseyside.

“He’s been incredible. He’s been the catalyst, really, for a lot of what has happened subsequently with our success. Collectively, we weren’t there against Everton. It was nothing to do with any individual performances. Collectively, we were off our best.”

Spurs also lost on Thursday, with West Ham claiming a 2-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and like the Magpies, Ange Postecoglou’s side are wobbling slightly as injuries and suspensions begin to bite.

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Howe has been impressed with the Australian’s impact since taking over in the summer, and admits Spurs’ current position in the table, one point ahead of Newcastle, imbues Sunday’s game with added importance.

“I think Tottenham have changed a lot of their build-up patterns,” he said. “Their formation and the way they play is totally different. I’ve enjoyed watching them play.

“The games you have with the teams around you always take on more importance. They’re usually tight and entertaining, and we’ve usually been able to raise our performance for these type of games.

“Regardless of how they got on in the week, it was always going to be a really big game for both teams. We’re under no illusions about the importance of this match for us.”