Newcastle United kept their hopes alive of a top-four finish in the Premier League, after beating Nottingham Forest 2-1 at the City Ground.
A double from Newcastle's record signing Alexander Isak led Newcastle to victory on the road.
With Newcastle playing in the first game of gameweek 28, it was the perfect opportunity for Eddie Howe and his team to close the gap to challengers Tottenham Hotspur, who were travelling down to the south coast to face Southampton on Saturday.
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Isak's patience pays off
It is fair to say that it has been a test of patience for Eddie Howe, Newcastle, and Alexander Isak. The Swedish international has had a difficult first season in the Premier League due to injuries.
Much was made of Howe last week, after he suggested that Isak was not ready for a full 90 minutes. What he meant was that the Newcastle forward still needed to get up to speed with the required fitness and intensity, especially after a lengthy injury. The evidence this week, two starts and three goals later, is that Isak is now ready.
Isak, who had earlier cancelled out Emmanuel Dennis' opener in the first half, placed his spot-kick cooly and calmly into the top right hand corner after Moussa Niakhate was penalised for handball inside the box.
The Swedish international now has six goals in the Premier League in just ten appearances, after also netting in their 2-1 win over Wolves last weekend.
"Confidence is key for any attacking player. The penalty was ice cool," Howe said. "It was a top, top performance. He was a constant handful for Forest. His pace and trickery were evident."
"I don't believe so [when asked if the striker has a ceiling]," Howe replied. "There's so much more that he is capable of giving. We knew we were signing a top, top player, capable of doing amazing things. I thought he showed that today. He's got a huge part to play in our future."
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Domination in the Midlands
In an eventful and entertaining encounter in the Midlands, Newcastle substitute Elliot Anderson thought he had made it 2-1 when he headed it in at the back post, only for it to be ruled out by VAR for offside in the build up. It denied the twenty-year-old his first ever goal for the club.
Newcastle were on top for large spells, and hit the crossbar twice in the first half.
The stats don't lie on this occasion, with Newcastle dominating for large spells with 62% possession, 15 shots to Forest's five, and four on target to Forest's three. The visitors also hit the crossbar twice in that first half.
As for Forest, it was another disappointing result. The danger of relegation still remains for them and Steve Cooper, and they just were simply not a match for Newcastle United on Friday evening.
They had a late chance through Brennan Johnson in the dying moments of the game, but it did not trouble goalkeeper Nick Pope in what was a fairly quiet night for the England international.
The travelling supporters, who had made the 159 mile trip to Nottingham on Friday night, remained packed in the stands long after the final whistle celebrating with the players on the pitch.
The fans knew the importance of the victory, with it potentially being a significant result in their challenge for a Champions League qualification spot.
Newcastle were made to work hard for their first victory this season when going behind, but it was well deserved result in the end.
The result leaves the Magpies in fifth place just two points behind the Lilywhites in fourth, and still with two game in hand on Antonio Conte's side who are struggling for consistency. As their north London rivals often sing, "Tottenham Hotspur, we're coming for you."