Newcastle boss Eddie Howe concerned over Joe Willock's injury and opens up on Bournemouth return

Marcos Senesi poked the struggling Cherries ahead on the half-hour mark but Miguel Almiron's 10th goal of the campaign got the fourth-placed Magpies back on level terms. 

There would be no further goals on the south coast and instead Newcastle left with Joe Willock, Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin carrying fitness concerns that will leave all three sweating given the Carabao Cup final takes place in a fortnight.

Howe, who was also without Callum Wilson due to a knock, said: "Miggy and Maxi, I don't think are too bad. Miggy got stamped on his hand, so we think he'll be okay. Maxi was just a knock.

"The concern from today is Joe who has gone off with a hamstring problem so we'll wait and see how he is.

"Certainly, yeah (we're struggling to win), but I think there is a lot to consider. We're on a long unbeaten run, teams are preparing well against us but you'd expect that. It is the Premier League.

"It is up to us to find solutions but the real positive is we are not losing games. Despite not winning, we're keeping our points tally moving in the right direction and if you look around league, the league is so tight.

"There are a lot of results that mean the challenge for us is to be as consistent as we can. We're going through a phase where we're creating chances but not scoring and I think that will end, I don't think that can continue."

This result extended Newcastle's unbeaten top-flight run to 17 matches but was a fifth draw from their last six league fixtures.

It could have been worse had Kieran Trippier not stopped Dominic Solanke's goalbound flick in the 89th-minute with the whole of the ball agonisingly close to crossing the line.

After seven minutes of stoppage-time passed with little incident, Howe was able to accept the acclaim of the Bournemouth crowd on his first return back to the club - which he guided from League Two to the Premier League - since his 2020 departure.

"It only struck me at the final whistle when I knew what was about to happen," Howe, who spent a combined 22 years with the Cherries as a player and then manager, admitted.

"Yeah it was emotional, I'm not going to hide that fact. I think with how long I had been at this football club without the chance to say goodbye to people that gave me so much in my life and not just me but for my family as well. It was difficult.

"I thought the Bournemouth supporters were amazing with me today, I cant thank them enough for that. It was just a chance for me to thank them and yeah, it was a very special moment."

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