'Harsh words': Eddie Howe hints at the atmosphere in the dressing room at half time at Craven Cottage

To say that Newcastle United rode their luck in the first half against Fulham would be understating things.

Fulham got the game underway with the Newcastle team still sound asleep on the team bus on the M25 and it was only Fulham's own lack of ability to do anything meaningful in the final third that kept the Magpies in the game at all.

Eddie Howe used an 'injury' to Martin Dubravka midway through the first half as an opportunity to address his charges pitch side, and while we couldn't hear what was being said, the blue aura in the air around him certainly suggested that he wasn't reading them a fairytale.

It still took a few minutes for the rollocking to take, but we managed to get into the dressing room at half-time with the scoreline still level. Somehow.

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We'd love to have been a fly on the wall in that dressing room

When asked after the game what was said in the dressing room, Eddie Howe revealed that there was a bit of an inquest as the players got stuck into each other as much as he did. (via The Chronicle).

"It was about switching the mindset really. Like I said, in the opening period we looked really lethargic and Fulham controlled things and played really well.

"Often the third game in a week is difficult, especially going away from home and not being able to rotate the players you want to. We did well not to concede and had some luck doing it too.

"But a few harsh words, the lads were harsh with themselves as well, and second half we saw a completely different team that deserved to win in the end."

Newcastle kept themselves in contention for Europe

Sometimes you've just got to throw out a bit of tough love and it sounds like that's what went down at half-time.

Whatever was said clearly worked as Newcastle grew into the game and showed Fulham what you're supposed to do with a spell of domination.

VAR tried to keep the score level ruling out Fabian Schar's opening goal, but Bruno Guimaraes soon put things right and kept Newcastle in the hunt for Europe.