11 November 2023 , 20:13
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Kieran Trippier played down his intense altercation with a Newcastle fan following Saturday night's disappointing 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth.
The Magpies were sunk on the south coast by a second-half double from Cherries striker Dominic Solanke, who condemned Eddie Howe's side to their second defeat of the week following their loss against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Emotions boiled over after the final whistle and footage of Trippier rowing with one of the travelling Newcastle fans quickly went viral on social media. However, the England star stressed that he was "just having a chat" with the fan during a post-match interview with Sky Sports.
Trippier said of the incident: "The fans are emotional, of course they are. They have travelled a long way, they spend a lot of money to come and watch us. I was just having a chat with one of them, I said we are giving everything. There is no need to panic, we are still in a good position in the league, we are still in the Champions League, Carabao Cup quarter-finals, there is no need to panic.
"We got beat, we do apologise for that result, but the most important thing is that the lads are giving everything. We are giving more under the circumstances."
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Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was also asked about the incident after the match. He refused to be drawn on the altercation but insisted that Trippier - who he was seen consoling on the pitch - was fine.
Howe said: "I did see that. I think it's high emotions at the end of games, we really appreciate our away support, everyone is valued and we're just disappointed with the result."
Trippier had to be pulled away from the row by Joelinton (AFP via Getty Images)He added: "Kieran's fine. Emotions run high. We all feel a bit emotional after that. No problems with our away support."
Howe went on to admit that the match against his former side proved to be "a game too far" ahead of the international break. He said: "It was just a game too far and we couldn't respond. Bournemouth played well but we were well below par. It was a tough afternoon.
"We weren't ourselves in possession or out of possession. If you can't do that at this level, it will be a difficult day. When we are under fatigue and stretched, we usually respond better. We need to dust ourselves down and come back in strong."