If there were any doubts about whether Newcastle could follow on from last season, they have certainly been put to bed after this performance.
Eddie Howe's men ran riot at St. James' Park, putting five past an Aston Villa side who have been tipped by many to have their best season to date.
It was a dream start for both sides' new signings, with Sandro Tonali opening the scoring for Newcastle after just six minutes, with Moussa Diaby then levelling things shortly after.
An Alexander Isak double, and one off the bench from his strike partner Callum Wilson, then put the Magpies in full control of the game and sent them on their way to three points in their opening match of the season.
Harvey Barnes netted the fifth in added time of his Newcastle debut, rounding off a five-star performance for the home side, while leaving Unai Emery with a lot of thinking to do ahead of their next match against Everton.
Here are the main takeaways from St. James' Park:
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Debut Delight
Players tend to take at least a few games to settle into life at their new club, with some even needing a full season to properly adjust.
However, Eddie Howe's new additions looked like they had played in his system for years, with both Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes impressing in their opening game.
Known for his creativity rather than his goal scoring, Tonali took just six minutes to find the back of the net on his debut for the club, latching onto an excellent Anthony Gordon cross.
He fit perfectly into the midfield alongside Brazilian's Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton; a middle of the park that could dominate the ball and teams in games to come.
Harvey Barnes also made an excellent impact off the bench, and despite only playing 22 minutes, managed to grab himself a goal and an assist.
Not only have they added quality to their squad, they have added depth too, something that can really help them challenge this season, particularly as they try to balance their league campaign with the Champions League.
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Ingenious Isak
It is very rare to find a striker who is just as adept creatively as they are at putting the ball in the back of the net, but Alexander Isak seems to have it all.
He took a while to grow into the game but once he did, he really showed how ruthless he can be. The Swedish international took both goals with such ease, particularly his second as he capitalised on an Ezri Konsa mistake and dinked the ball over World Cup winner Emiliano Martínez.
He is a player who can make something out of nothing and with new technicians like Barnes, Tonali and Gordon, he is surely only going to improve on last season's goal tally of 10.
Whether he plays instead of Wilson or with him, Isak certainly is a player that will be essential to any success that Newcastle have this season.
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Defensive Frailties
Considering the amount of money they have spent on defenders over the last few windows, this is not something we would have expected from an Unai Emery side.
Known for building resolute defences, Emery's men showed anything but that in this game, particularly down the right-hand side.
Gordon, Isak, and then Barnes, found it far too easy to get down the right flank, with Matty Cash leaving gaps for them to exploit, while Konsa struggled to get tight to the attackers.
The loss of Tyrone Mings to what looks to be a bad injury also doesn't help settle things go forward, with Pau Torres and Diego Carlos now being required to hit the ground running.
However, Emery has solved these problems before at his former clubs, so if there is one message to take from this, its for Villa fans to not panic.
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Deadly Diaby
There weren't a great deal of positives to take from this game for Villa, but their new signings' performance might be one of them.
A goal on your debut is exactly what every new signing dreams of, but Moussa Diaby would feel like he could, and probably should, have had more.
Partnering Ollie Watkins up top, Diaby was a nightmare for the Newcastle defence in the first half, with his pace and direct running probably leaving half their back line going into the break with a headache.
The composure and technique he showed for his goal also shows that he has an end product, guiding the ball into the top right corner to level the scoring.
It looks like he has taken no time at all to settle in and with a few more games under his belt, the Frenchman could certainly become a force to be reckoned with.
