Newcastle boss Eddie Howe makes complaint after stirring Nottingham Forest win - 'I wasn't that happy'

But Newcastle came roaring back in the second half, with Alexander Isak equalising before further goals from Joelinton and Harvey Barnes.

Howe, speaking to Sky Sports, was pleased with his side's comeback.

He did, however, complain that they simply weren't good enough in the first half and were far too 'inconsistent' for his liking.

"Hopefully they are a significant three points for us. We desperately didn't want to fall flat today," he said.

"It is a tough ground and team to play and to come from behind as well, it's a really good day for us.

"I felt we were slightly inconsistent - I wasn't that happy with our first-half performance. It was a bit slow and not direct enough.

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"The passing was a bit sidewards. Credit to the players for the second half because that is everything we want to be. I thought we deserved to win.

"I wanted to see more energy and more sprinting and more direct duels. We were turning down opportunities to attack and that isn't like us and it suited Nottingham Forest.

"Joelinton is like gold dust because wherever you put him you know he's going to do a good job.

"His attitude never changes in training. He's playing in different positions so he has to do the training. I'm really pleased again with his performance.

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"The Premier League is really, really tight this season and you need consistent victories and it can really elevate you.

"Everyone is searching for a formula that guarantees them victories. We've looked much more like ourselves in the past few games.

"I still feel there is more to come and we can improve, and we've got room to improve."

Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo, meanwhile, admitted Newcastle deserved their victory.

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"We played a good team and they played really well, they were strong," said the Portuguese boss.

"We started well and controlled the first half, even though they created problems. We had a good chance before their first goal and then through the second half it became more difficult. There was less space when we were level and then the counter-attack was vital for Newcastle.

"We rushed a little bit in our decisions and started putting crosses into the box and allowing Newcastle to create danger. That is normal when you're losing.

"There are a lot of lessons for us. We taste something today that we've been doing this season with the counter-attack and taking advantage of speed. They have very good players and we suffered there.

"It is a lesson for us. We cannot say anything about our players. We gave everything that we have.

"We have to recognise today that Newcastle were the better team. They were very effective. We have to be proud of our effort against a good team. It is a very, very good league."