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The Black Cats came from behind to claim bragging rights in the Tyne-Wear derby, with Anthony Gordon capitalising on a Luke O’Nien error to find the net in the 10th minute.
Howe thought his side would go on to extend their early lead, but a “poor” performance, especially in the second half, led to a “harsh” result in his eyes.
“A painful, tough afternoon for us,” Howe told Sky Sports. “It was a positive start. I thought when we scored we would go on and dominate, but we never capitalised on that momentum.
“The first half fizzled out and second half we were second best. I didn’t like our performance. Technically, we were poor. The defeat is harsh on us, but we didn’t play well enough.”
The Magpies have not had a break of more than four days between their matches since mid-December, but Howe was “reluctant” to blame the loss on their packed schedule.
‘I’m reluctant to use [fixture congestion] as an excuse. Logic would tell you yes, but we have to do better. We have to really look at ourselves and make sure we learn from all the mistakes we have made and we made a few today.
“This has happened before; it isn’t a one-off.”
In the club’s past 12 games following midweek obligations, their record stands at three wins, two draws and seven defeats.
But heading into the international break and with his side left with just Premier League duties to fulfil, Howe is hoping that Newcastle can regain their “freshness”.
“We have some massive games to come,” said Howe. “Week-to-week we are able to train and get that freshness back. We have had to learn a lot. It’s going to need a lot of character to respond. We never give up. We always go for what we can.”
Le Bris: Alleged racist abuse ‘not acceptable’
The Tyne-Wear derby was paused for three minutes after the second half had got underway, as referee Anthony Taylor spoke to Lutsharel Geertruida about an alleged incident of racist abuse from the crowd.
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris said that Geertruida, who is on loan from RB Leipzig, was “okay” and praised the actions of referee Taylor.
“I don’t really know what happened but it’s not acceptable,” said Le Bris. “The referee acted well because he reported the problem, which is the first step. He [Geertruida] seems okay, but we will see.”
Howe was quick to condemn racism and noted that Newcastle would investigate the matter.
He said: “We don’t condone any form of racism and it’s something the club will investigate.”
The Premier League released a statement explaining that they too would undertake a full investigation.
”Today’s match between Newcastle United and Sunderland was temporarily paused during the second half after a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd, directed at Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida,” read the statement.
”This is in line with the Premier League’s on-field anti-discrimination protocol. The incident at St James’ Park will now be fully investigated.
”We offer our full support to the player and both clubs. Racism has no place in our game or anywhere in society. We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”