Appointed earlier this month after Newcastle’s new owners sacked Steve Bruce, Howe missed the 3-3 draw with Brentford after testing positive for Covid-19.
Arsenal were well worth the win, a dominant performance that was rewarded by two beautifully taken second-half goals by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
‘Tough call’
Chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, PIF owns 80% of the club, with the rest divided between RB Sports & Media and PCP Capital Partners, whose chief executive led the takeover.
In between Arsenal’s goals, Newcastle claimed a penalty after striker Callum Wilson went down in the box after a challenge from Nuno Tavares but play continued.
“The game was decided in the incident with Callum Wilson and the penalty — a tough call against us — then they scored in the aftermath,” Howe told BT Sport.
“Momentum in football is so important. We need to get that win as quickly as we can.”
More News
What’s it like to play Rafael Nadal on clay? We asked the players
The NBA media rights deal could bring about a once-impossible feat: the $100 million salary
Does lightning-rod umpire Angel Hernandez deserve his villainous reputation?