The Magpies travel to Camp Nou next Wednesday with a 1-1 draw, after a Lamine Yamal penalty in added time snatched victory at St James’ Park.
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The draw seemed little reward for a spirited performance against one of the giants of European football.
Howe, who described the draw as “soft”, remains confident his side can provide a significant challenge to Hansi Flick’s side on their own turf.
“In the cold light of day, when we wake up tomorrow, we will see the positives. The tie is very much alive, we played very well,” Howe said.
“We showed our qualities. We have been very competitive. The challenge is that we need more consistently. We have shown that we can play against the best when we are at our best.”
Newcastle looked destined for a priceless 1-0 lead when Harvey Barnes scored his 14th goal of the season in the 86th minute. However, a famous victory was cruelly snatched away in the dying moments.
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Malick Thiaw’s challenge on substitute Dani Olmo led Italian referee Marco Guida to award a penalty, which Yamal duly converted in the sixth minute of added time, leaving Barcelona with the momentum heading into the second leg.
When asked if his team deserved more, Howe said: “Yes, we do. A very good team performance, very, very good in all phases, really. I thought we limited them with a very good defensive performance from the team and I think we attacked very well as well.”
“Even though we didn’t create many clear-cut chances, I thought there were opportunities throughout the game for us. It was great to see us finally score and then the last attack of the game, the last shot of the game, it was hard to take advantage of.”
Lamine Yamal rescued a draw for Barcelona (Owen Humphreys/PA) (PA Wire)
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, whose side claimed a 2-1 victory at St James’ Park in the league stage in September, admitted his side struggled for some periods but ultimately settled for a draw.
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“If you had asked me before the game about the 1-1 score, I would always be happy,” Flick said.
“We didn’t play a good game with the ball. We lost too many balls, we made easy mistakes and that’s what Newcastle only wants.
“When they receive the ball, the transition they make is good, they have very dynamic and very fast players, so it was not easy.
“But in the end, what I appreciated a lot about my team is that we defended together, the defensive performance was really good today.”