Tottenham Hotspur stand in Newcastle way next
At long last they stood before their supporters on a Premier League ground as victors instead of victims. Those carrying the Geordie flag could smile with bursting pride instead of trying to hide their embarrassment at the end of an hour and a half of examination.
The relief was palpable. Eddie Howe and his Newcastle United troops were PL away winners for the very first time this season on their seventh attempt. Lucky for us!
It was the perfect birthday present for Eddie, 48 this very day, perhaps appropriately at Everton whom he supported as a youngster when his hero was Peter Beardsley, now a neighbour on Tyneside.
After the cold chill of an Arctic winter this was the warmest of feelings, back to back PL victories following the defeat of Manchester City. And it wasn't a scratchy single-goal win but a 4-1 slaughtering.
We now return to home comforts with Spurs on Tuesday night and Burnley on Saturday next up. A glorious opportunity to climb the slippery slope.
Tottenham arrive in not too many hours time trying to turn history - they suffered their first away defeat of the season in the Carabao Cup late October by 2-0 which was their fourth successive loss at St James Park. More of the same please.
They travel having just lost 2-1 at home to Fulham which will have done little to lighten the mood. A shocking record under Thomas Frank shows they have won just three of their past 13 matches in all competitions.
United got off to a flyer on Merseyside and milestones came at the double. Malick Thiaw's first goal in black and white was timed at 52 seconds, the fastest anywhere this season, and Lewis Miley's second before the half hour mark made him at 19 years and 212 days the second youngster Newcastle player to score and assist after Charles N'Zogbia in September 2005.
United were in dreamland by half-time as Nick Woltemade ended a relatively barren time of late with a delicious chip over our normal Geordie-baiter Jordan Pickford who must have had more fun suffering from raging toothache. Thiaw rounded it all off with his second and our fourth burying another textbook header.
The Mags had thrown away a lead in their last three matches on rival soil but it was never going to happen here even if Kieran Dewsbury-Hall prevented a clean sheet for Aaron Ramsdale.
There were quality performances all across the park . . . Thiaw as normal but this time with two goals as his medals, fellow German Woltemade back to his best as a cheeky chappie, Miley proving what a teenage prospect he is, and Dan Burn how reliable he is when played in his preferred position.
We've been craving a confidence booster for Anthony Elanga and sure enough his display upon recall brought encouragement. When he set up Woltenmade through persistence and vision to find him in acres of space he produced with an assist something Anthony Gordon hadn't managed in his last 19 PL outings.
That United won their first away league fixture without regulars Tonali, Gordon, and Pope plus other big hitters like Trippier, Botman, and Schar was ironic but a tribute to those on Howe's team sheet.
Miley had big boots to fill replacing Tonali but he is a cool young man comfortable in his natural ability which shone through despite two Brazilian internationals sharing the midfield third with him.
Think of him alongside the full-back class of Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall - three kids in terms of age and experience - and United look well served for the foreseeable future.
FOOTNOTE: Former Newcastle and Carlisle midfielder Les O'Neill has passed away aged 81.
Les played for his local club New Harley Juniors before graduating to United where he was a valued member of their FA Youth Cup winning team of 1962 alongside the likes of Bob Moncur and David Craig. However he made only one first team appearance at Portsmouth the following year.
He was best known for being part of the Carlisle team that made the fairytale rise into the old First Division in 1974 famously scoring in their opening day 2-0 win at Chelsea in front of the MOTD cameras.
O'Neill who also played for Darlington and Bradford City was later coach at Swindon under Glenn Hoddle.