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.”