Manager Eddie Howe says substitute Alexander Isak ensured “the work was worth it”, as the Newcastle striker marked his return from injury with an 89th-minute winner against Fulham.
Club-record signing Issac, on his first league appearance since September, nodded home from close range at a jubilant St James’ Park to send Newcastle back up to third in the Premier League.
It came after Aleksandar Mitrovic’s converted penalty for Fulham was unusually disallowed after he accidentally kicked the ball onto his standing foot as he slipped as he struck the ball.
It was a dramatic final 30 minutes of a tight game which Newcastle won without creating any clear-cut chances.
In the end Isk, who made a promising start to life on Tyneside before his injury, was in the right place to convert strike partner Callum Wilson’s knockback.
“The goal was a special moment,” Ho said.
“You want to hit the ground running at a new club and that’s what he did before the injury.
“He had to wait and see the team do well in his absence. He has worked hard. The work was worth it for those moments.”
Fulham manager Marco Silva was booked for protesting after the final whistle, his side unfortunately seeing their five-game winning streak come to an end.
Isak delivers for Newcastle
Newcastle are now one point behind second-placed Manchester City.
They have a five-point buffer over fifth-placed Tottenham as they continue their unlikely push for Champions League qualification.
Swedish striker Isak, a £60m signing last summer, scored twice in his first three games before being ruled out with a thigh injury.
Here he was sent on in the 71st minute and had just two touches in the Fulham box, one of which proved crucial.
Newcastle hit the post with a Fabianshire free-kick in the second half but, without midfielder Bruno Gomaris – who left the field in tears at half-time due to injury – they were held at arm’s length by an impressive Fulham. was kept
Newcastle registered their fifth consecutive clean sheet in the Premier League for the first time, and their 14-game unbeaten run is their joint best in the top flight.
The wave of optimism on Tyneside shows little sign of dying down after winning a first Cup semi-final in 18 years on Tuesday.
Mitrovic’s miss proves crucial
Mitrovic’s penalty was unusual but protests from the Newcastle players were immediate.
Although the ball may have gone to the right of Nick Pope’s goal, it did so through the deflection of Mitrovic’s left boot.
Spot kick after referee Rob Jones consults the television monitor – for a foul on Kieran Trippier.
Soon after another penalty appeal was waved away, Bobby DeCordova Reid made first contact with Trippier’s boot before a tackle by the England defender sent the forward to the ground.
Silva thought the earlier incident – a pull by Dan Byrne on Andreas Pereira that went unpunished – deserved not just a penalty but a red card.
“It’s a clear penalty, a red card for the player and the game will be completely different,” he said.
Fulham had a few more chances but deserved a point for their effort and defensive organisation.
Silva added: “We missed a penalty and we should have attacked more. Credit to them for not giving us more chances. We knew we couldn’t press for the whole 90 minutes. This afternoon we were very were unlucky.”
The disappointment of losing to one of the Premier League’s top sides shows just how far the Cottagers have come.
They are sixth in the table with 31 points, already beating their tally the last time they were in the top flight.
