Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe says they need to be perfect against Manchester City on Sunday.
United performed well against second-placed Liverpool on Thursday night, despite eventually losing 3-1 at Anfield, but Howe feels his players will need to be even better against the Citizens - while they will also be hoping for a change of fortune after seeing a string of refereeing decisions go against them in recent weeks.
Asked if it required a 'perfect performance' in order for Newcastle to get anything from the game, Howe replied: "Yeah, I think it does.
"I thought there were elements of the Liverpool performance that were very good - and I'm sorry to go back to it, but the first goal (where Isaac Hayden was down with a head injury as play continued) changes the game dramatically. We don't know what would have happened to that match if that moment hadn't happened.
"Up to that point, I don't think we were perfect but I thought we were very good, and very effective at what we were trying to implement to the game.
"Now we're going to need the same mentality, first and foremost, in preparation for the game. The players have to commit to what we ask them to do."
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