Newcastle 2-1 Brighton: “Talisman” Bruno Guimarães achieves a “huge” victory over the Magpies

Ilanga and Osola ended up playing crucial roles in the build-up to Newcastle’s winner.

Swede Elanga dispossessed Fulham defender Ryan Sessegnon before passing Osola down the right flank.

The Danish striker has developed into a player who can influence games at this level, having scored against defending champions Liverpool earlier this season, driving forward before cutting the ball in and flying in from the edge of the box.

Although Leno made the initial save, Guimarães was there to tap in the rebound when he stepped up when Newcastle needed their captain most.

This has not gone unnoticed by Match of the Day pundit Michael Carrick – not least after Guimarães played 90 minutes against Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

“He always provides that leadership on the pitch,” the former Manchester United midfielder told Final Score. “He is their talisman and creates an extra amount of energy on the pitch by making the fans happy. It is a very big goal for Newcastle.”

It was the goal that propelled Newcastle into 10th place.

This isn’t where they wanted to end up, of course, but it’s still a huge victory.

Interestingly, Newcastle also started last season with three wins, three draws and three losses in the Premier League before qualifying for the Champions League, ending a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.

Howe believes that “the best is yet to come.”

He added: “We have seen many times, historically, when you score late goals, not only the game you won is affected.”

“Hopefully, for us, the mood, even the behavior when you’re in that position again, will be more of a belief that you can find a winner, that you have players who can decide games.

“I think that has a big impact – just like we had to fight the other way. We conceded late this year and we had to fight for it to become a habit. To break that today was really important for us.”