Newcastle United will head to the illustrious city of Milan with their tales up – although there was nothing too stylish about the gritty 1-0 over Brentford.
Nevertheless, nobody was complaining at the final whistle and as Newcastle players and staff headed home on Saturday night with two big days of preparation ahead of them, there was a little bit of relief in the air. Before a Champions League ball has even been kicked there has been talk of how Newcastle will cope with being back in Europe.
The strain, the fatigue, the travelling and all-round grogginess that left a scar on the club 10 years ago when the Europa League almost got the Magpies relegated under Alan Pardew.
But Howe has already started to demonstrate a bit of a plan and it started with five changes, some enforced to his line-up against the Bees. It has left him with fresh legs for Milan and after overcoming the disappointment of being benched, stars like Sandro Tonali, Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy are in contention for the first Group F encounter.
The other move Newcastle have made is to train pretty much as normal at Benton on the eve of the game. Teams usually train at the stadium they play in the night before the game in Europe, but UEFA are open to requests if they choose against it.
Newcastle aren’t alone in opting to do this and Celtic – with Brendan Rodgers cautious of opponents spying on training once the open session for the media is over – also training at home ahead of their clash against Feyenoord.
The move by Howe will keep things relatively normal for Newcastle and while the famous picture of Sir Bobby Robson briefing his team at the Nou Camp 20 years ago would have made for an opportunity to create a modern version of the photograph at the San Siro, United must try to avoid any fatigue during a long hard season.
With Sheffield United hot on the heels of Milan next Sunday, getting the squad to Italy slightly later and getting them home earlier may pay dividends.
The penalty award that won it through Callum Wilson was deemed soft, even by Newcastle fans. But nobody in black and white was going to turn it down.
Yet referee Craig Pawson initially did not believe it should have been awarded according to Brentford star Christian Norgaard. He believed that Pawson did not want to give it and the Bees man said: “I heard the referee say ‘not for me, not for me’ so maybe the assistant gave it. I just think in a game like this it is not the right decision.
“It’s frustrating of course, you come here as the underdogs and this small decision turns it. It’s a tough one to take.”