Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe isn't surprised by the gap between his team and the Premier League's best this season.

The Magpies will head into Monday night's home clash with Arsenal having failed to take a single point from their previous nine games against the current top five this season and with only four goals to their name in the process.

Asked about his side's record against the division's big guns, Howe said: “There's a definite gap between us and the top sides but we're not fazed by that, we're not surprised by that.

“That's where we are at the moment. We have to figure out a way of being more competitive in those games and picking up points.

“There are certain games I look back on and think we should have got more, we should have done better in some moments, but that's a learning curve for us and that's something we'll try to address next season."