Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was delighted after their Carabao Cup win against Manchester City.
Alexander Isak struck as Newcastle won 1-0 at St James' Park.
Howe said, "It was a game of two halves. First was tough and City played well. We didn't but defended well as we didn't have the ball. Probably had the one chance with Jacob Murphy. Second half we were excellent in most aspects, defensively and offensively. We attacked well and probably deserved to win in the end.
"There were tactical changes but the biggest thing was in belief. That is not a reflection on the lads we took off but the lads we brought on made a big difference. With the ball we were a better team completely.
"A difficult opponent in Jack Grealish [for Tino Livramento]. Defensively he was really good and played with maturity in his game. He looked composed. Good signs for him. He attacked well as we improved as a team.
"Pre-game it was in our thoughts, the run last year. It was an inspiration to us and helped our season, albeit the final maybe affected our league results. We look back on it with real pride. We want to try and go one further if we can but there is a long way to go at this stage. We are still there fighting."
