Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, speaking to BBC Radio 5 live: "Our first thought wasn’t to defend deep or protect our goal, far from it. We tried to be aggressive, we tried to get at the Milan centre-backs and goalkeepers in the build up phase. Mixed success at that.

"I thought the crowd were very good for Milan tonight. It was a hostile atmosphere and the players had to adjust to that and that is why I don’t think you can underestimate the performance and point. It will look better and better as time goes on. New experiences for a lot of us tonight and hopefully we can grow from this."

On Nick Pope and the defensive performance: "Nick Pope was outstanding today. He was excellent against Brentford. It is no coincidence two big displays from him and two clean sheets, absolutely crucial for us.

"The way we defended was commendable, blocked shots, the amount of times we threw ourselves in front of the ball. You cannot underestimate the power of that draw.

"You can’t underestimate the difficulties of coming here, the emotion of the game, new experiences, we had to take a lot on board today. We can improve but growth and improvement is always things we look to do. We can be very positive about our next game.

"It could be a vital point, who knows?"

More reaction to Newcastle's draw in Milan