Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe praised Bruno Guimaraes for showing his "technical quality" following the Magpies' 3-2 win Premier League against Nottingham Forest at The City Ground.
A brace from the Brazilian Guimaraes and first-half strike from Fabian Schar cancelled out two first-half goals from Forest's Anthony Elanga and Taiwo Awonyi, ensuring they made the 170-mile trip back up to the North East with all the spoils.
Guimaraes was the standout player for Newcastle, scoring two sensational goals and proving to be the difference maker playing in a more attacking midfield role.
On Guimaraes' performance: "I think (his first goal) shouldn't be underestimated, it was a brilliant ball by Kieran (Tripper) but he's still got a lot to do.
"It was a fantastic finish, he showed his technical quality.
"The second goal, we had moved him deeper and then from that position he has a great touch and a cool finish.
"He really is a player that makes a difference for us when he's in the groove and he was tonight."
Dan Burn received criticism from supporters due to a run of poor form, including a concerning performance in the Magpies' 4-4 draw against Luton Town.
But Howe kept his faith in the 31-year-old, a decision that proved to be right. The Englishman made 14 clearances, more than any other Newcastle player.
Howe said: "I understand supporters will always have opinions.
"For me, I have to keep my mind clear of any opinion other than those that I seek.
"We see the inner workings of the football club which some people don't have the ability to do. I made my decision (to start Burn) on training, on our opponent.
"I thought Dan was excellent, of course, there were a couple of moments but the majority of his defensive work was very good.
"I'm really pleased with his response"
The win means that Newcastle have won four consecutive away games in all competitions, after previously failing to win away from home since November.
On away form, Howe said: "(The results) have been much improved, I still feel like we have a long way to go in terms of what we are trying to do but I would be saying that in any situation.
"I always believe in real growth in the team. I believe there are a lot of areas (for improvement).
"The key for me this season, although we have been put in some really difficult positions is the resilience, spirit, determination and unity has always shone through.
"Even in the difficult moments, I am really pleased with the whole squad."
The win means Newcastle have gained seven points out of a possible nine, scoring ten goals in the process.
On the result: "It was another really entertaining game. I thought we did really well in the first half. We came in at 2-2 which was tough for us because I thought we dominated the game.
"We got a couple of moments wrong and we conceded goals from it but I was really pleased with the second half and the spirit shown to win the game.
"We withstood a lot of pressure towards the end of the game but it was a brilliant goal that won us the match."
Howe tried something different in the game against Forest. Guimaraes played further up as an attacking midfielder, while Lewis Miley and Sean Longstaff dropped deep to play as more defensive midfielders. Despite that, Forest were able to score their eight first half break goal of the season - more than any other side in the Premier League.
On the midfield, Howe said: "Our midfield didn't deal well enough with a couple of transitional moments which cost us one goal, it could have cost us another.
"That's certainly something for us to go away and review and work on as we have been in the last few weeks.
"But it's all positive emotions on the back of a win."
The win moves the Magpies up to seventh in the Premier League, just two points off the final Europa League spot currently held by Manchester United.
On European ambitions, Howe said: "We're just trying to win every game we play, I think we can feel a bit better about ourselves off the back of these away wins.
"Now we return home, we've been so good at home for a long period of time so we need to rediscover that form as quickly as possible."