Bruno Guimaraes was Newcastle’s hero as they edged past Crystal Palace to claim a second successive Premier League victory.
The Brazilian put the Magpies in front with a 71st-minute header, his seventh goal of the season, and then sent in the corner from which defender Malick Thiaw stabbed home the second in a 2-0 win which came courtesy of a first clean sheet in 13 attempts.
Until that point, Palace had given as good as they got despite the Magpies having two first-half goals ruled out for offside, although they were unable to make keeper Nick Pope work often enough to reap the rewards of their good play, which £35million debutant Brennan Johnson played his part in.
However, Eddie Howe’s men emerged from the first of nine games in 28 days this month with the win they craved.
The hosts might have been in front within three minutes when Sandro Tonali and Joelinton combined to play in Anthony Gordon down the left and he cut inside defender Marc Guehi before squaring for Yoane Wissa, but the striker fired his first-time effort straight at keeper Dean Henderson.
Palace settled, but the Magpies continued to press and Henderson had to made a fine reaction save from Fabian Schar’s 17th-minute header after the keeper had punched Wissa’s cross straight to Lewis Hall.
Newcastle thought they had taken the lead two minutes later when Wissa ran on to Guimaraes’ through ball and crossed for Gordon to score, but a VAR check came to the visitors’ rescue.
As an intense midfield battle unfolded with Joelinton and Tonali prominent for the hosts and Adam Wharton and Will Hughes making in-roads for Palace, the ball changed hands at regular intervals, although genuine chances were at a premium.
Henderson did well to keep out Hall’s 42nd-minute piledriver seconds before Joelinton saw a strike ruled out for offside, but Thiaw deflected Jean-Philippe Mateta’s snapshot from a Johnson cross wide and Hughes poked a shot past the post after being played in by Yeremy Pino on the stroke of half-time.
Tyrick Mitchell was in the right place at the right time to block Tonali’s 62nd-minute shot after Gordon and Hall had linked down the left, but Pope got down well to keep out Johnson’s 65th-minute attempt after Wharton had got the better of substitute Tino Livramento in midfield.
Guimaraes hit the bar direct from a 68th-minute corner, but it was he who finally broke the deadlock with 19 minutes remaining when he headed home from close range after Miley had turned substitute Harvey Barnes’ cross back across goal.
Henderson clawed a Barnes header out of his bottom corner to keep Palace’s hopes alive, but they died seconds later when he could only palm Guimaraes’ set-piece to Thiaw, who made no mistake from close range.
Henderson denied Barnes with a foot before substitute Joe Willock fired wide of an open goal from the rebound, but the points were already banked.
