Despite having a season in the Championship where he scored goals for fun at Newcastle United, striker Dwight Gayle believes that he had one of his best performances in a Newcastle shirt as the Magpies romped home to a 4-1 win over AFC Bournemouth.
Gayle got his side off the mark after just five minutes at the Vitality Stadium as he claimed his second Premier League strike in just as many games.
Speaking to NUFC TV after the game on the South Coast, the forward was in good spirits after an impressive all-round performance from his side.
"That was probably one of the best performances I've had since I've been here," Gayle admitted.
"The boys were fantastic from back to front, with or without the ball but we kept it so well in the first half.
"We looked like a really good side so we've got to look forward to next few games and hopefully pick up more points."
Targeting the opposition's weaknesses
It appeared that Newcastle's boss Steve Bruce had altered the system of his side and this may have been in a bid to put the Magpies' opponents under pressure, something which certainly worked.
This was something which Newcastle's attackers thrived off and Gayle certainly profited with his goal with his sides' first shot of the match.
"We knew that they like to keep the ball and press themselves," Gayle said.
"We set up to counter that by always trying to run in behind and we set up really well.
"The gaffer set us up perfectly to stop what they were trying to bring to the table."
Picking up after a howler
Gayle was the target of strong criticism on Sunday evening after Newcastle were dumped out of the Emirates FA Cup by Manchester City in a game where he missed an open goal.
As much as the cup exit was disappointing for the club Gayle quickly put things right with his early strike at Dean Court, much to his relief.
"It wasn't nice missing a chance the other day," the striker revealed honestly.
"I always back myself and it was good to back the team along the way in a nice day for everyone.
"There were some other good finishes from other people as well."