The 10-men of Newcastle got off to winning ways after beating a dominant Southampton side 1-0 courtesy of a Joelinton goal - set up by a poor pass from Alex McCarthy.
Fabian Schar received his marching orders just 28 minutes into the match after the referee deemed the defender to have head butted Ben Brereton Diaz, with the game having a hostile feel to it ever since.
Just before half time, McCarthy's sloppy pass fell straight to striker Alexander Isak, with the Swede rolling it across to Joelinton who placed it into the corner to give his side the lead.
Southampton dominated the ball for the remainder of the game but they found it hard to break down a resolute Newcastle defence, with Russell Martin's men heading back to the south coast rather frustrated.
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Story of the Match
Team selection is usually a hard one to predict for the first game of the season but, in this circumstance, both teams fielded an XI that many would have expected.
Kieran Trippier was the only real surprise after being dropped for Tino Livramento at right-back for Newcastle, while new signings William Osula and Lloyd Kelly made the bench.
As for Southampton, their lineup was as expected, with new signings Ben Brereton Diaz and Yukinari Sugawara making their debuts for the club - Cameron Archer, who signed yesterday, filled a spot on the bench.
It was an energetic start from the visitors and one in which Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall struggled, with the 19-year-old picking up a yellow card within nine minutes after pulling back the lively Sugawara as he tried to make his way into the box from the right.
The Saints' good start continued and they thought they had the lead shortly after when captain Jack Stephens tapped the ball in at the back post following and effort from Will Smallbone, but the linesman cut the elation short and raised his flag for offside.
Despite a rather calm opening to the game, an altercation between Brereton Diaz and Fabian Schar sent the game into a frenzy on the 28th minute, with the Swiss defender being sent off for his reaction.
After receiving a nudge in the back, the defender squared up to Brereton Diaz and leant his head into the Chilean - a reaction that, obviously, the forward made the most of and gave the referee no choice other than to send Schar for an early bath.
Emil Krafth replaced Jacob Murphy to reshuffle the side following the sending off, with the St. James' Park crowd seemingly finding their voice to create a hostile atmosphere for the away side.
Despite the booing, particularly when Brereton Diaz received the ball, Southampton remained confident in possession and by the 40th minute, had over 70% of the ball - a familiar statistic from last season, but one that many wouldn't have expected to continue in the Premier League.
Sugawara remained lively down the right and almost provided an assist on his debut, but his cross was headed wide by Brereton Diaz on the 41st minute - much to the delight of the home crowd.
Despite dominating the ball and looking rather comfortable, it was Newcastle who took the lead against the run of play through Joelinton.
If a new goalkeeper was high up on Southampton's agenda in the transfer market before the season begun, it may now be a priority following a mistake from veteran Alex McCarthy.
The goalkeeper played a sloppy pass straight to Alexander Isak in the box, with the Swede passing it across goal to Joelinton who placed it into the corner of the net - putting his side a goal up at the break.
It was just one change for the away side at the break, a rather surprising one too, as the energetic Sugawara was replaced by Samuel Edozie - a substitution that Hall would have, quietly, been relieved by.
Southampton almost found themselves level four minutes into the second half, but Brereton Diaz couldn't quite turn his effort goal-wards after the Saints' first attempt was cleared off the line.
A flurry of Southampton attacks followed and Adam Armstrong probably thought he had scored against his old club just minutes later, but his fierce effort was saved smartly by Nick Pope in the Newcastle goal.
As the hour-mark approached, Southampton continued to probe and push for parity, but there was always a Newcastle body in the way of their shots - a defensive performance Eddie Howe would be incredibly pleased with, despite their lack of attacking output.
Both managers rung the changes with 20 minutes left. Howe brought on Harvey Barnes and Kelly for Anthony Gordon and Hall, while Russell Martin welcomed youngster Tyler Dibling and new signing Cameron Archer to the pitch in an attempt to find an equaliser.
Despite the changes and all of the possession, the Saints struggled to create clear-cut chances and the Newcastle defence remained impenetrable, with Howe's men starting the season with a win.
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Player of the Match - Joelinton
His goal was the difference-maker but the Brazilian also worked for the team throughout the 90 minutes.
Although Newcastle mainly watched Southampton have the ball, Joelinton chased every pass, blocked two shots and made six clearances - statistics that you wouldn't usually associate with the forward-thinking midfielder.
Howe would be very pleased with his sides performance defensively, and Joelinton played an integral role in winning those three points today.
