Newcastle United on the rise: Howe praises progress

Trainer Eddie Howe expressed satisfaction with the recent performances of Newcastle United and praised his team for the impressive start to the season. He stated that the club is 'taking a step in the right direction.' With a narrow 2-1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, Newcastle climbed to third place in the Premier League. The team is now level on points with Arsenal at ten points and just two points behind leaders Manchester City. Fabian Schär and Harvey Barnes scored the decisive goals in the second half, with Barnes shining with a spectacular long-range shot to ensure Newcastle took the three points from Molineux. 'I think we are making progress in our performances. It was a step in the right direction,' Howe commented to Sky Sports. 'There are many areas where we can improve, and we will be working on that this week. We are a really close-knit group and need to stay that way.' Striker Alexander Isak, meanwhile, was substituted at halftime for Barnes after sustaining a facial injury during the first 45 minutes. Howe expressed hope after the game that the injury was not too serious. 'I think it was more his eye. I'm not 100 percent sure what the issue was, but I knew he had to come off. We will learn more afterward,' Howe said. When asked about the severity of Isak's injury, Howe added: 'I don't know. I absolutely hope it's nothing worse. He is such an important player for us. I don't know.'