Eddie Howe says Newcastle United "can't turn away" the chances to win a trophy after starting their EFL Cup defence with a win against Bradford City.

Newcastle have come under scrutiny for their lack of a cutting edge so far this season, but braces from Joelinton and William Osula secured a 4-1 victory at St James Park against the League One leaders.

The Magpies finished the match with a massive 4.4 expected goals (xG) from 27 attempts, with 11 of those on target, as Sam Walker worked hard in Bradford's goal to keep the score down.

Guimaraes also struck the woodwork, and they had nine Opta-defined 'big' chances overall. They will host Tottenham in the fourth round.

Howe has made it clear that he wants to oversee another cup run after last season's success, and he is confident his squad will approach every game with the right attitude.

"We want to win whatever is put in front of us, and the attitude stems from us, the coaches, and it should filter down," Howe said.

"There is no difference between the games; these are opportunities to win trophies, and you can't just turn them away.

"So, the hard rounds are the early ones. They are very difficult. Last year, we had to battle through against Wimbledon on the way to winning it; Bradford was the same. The mentality, you can't switch off."

Newcastle ensured that the EFL Cup holders have now progressed from the third round in each of the last 12 seasons, with Swansea City last failing to do so in 2013-14.

Howe rung the changes for the match, making seven from their goalless draw with Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday, but he opted against naming a young side.

He brought in the likes of Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga, and he believes his squad depth will help the team go far this term.

"We wanted to win and wanted to score and try to entertain everybody that came," he added.

"I thought we did that. It was always going to be a difficult game; nobody wants to make anything easy for you.

"Bradford are top of their league and we needed a bit of patience in our performance, but once we got into our groove, we were very good.

"We believe we have a strong squad. We take it on a game-by-game basis. After Barcelona, it was a case of who we felt would be fatigued going into the Bournemouth game.

"We created a lot of opportunities, and people impressed, and that only helps the team win consistently."