Newcastle United will go into the World Cup break in third place following a hard-fought 1-0 win against Chelsea at St James' Park.
Joe Willock scored the only goal of the game in the 67th minute after curling the ball past Edouard Mendy with a stunning first-time finish.
Here are five things we learned from the game.
READ MORE: Newcastle United vs Chelsea highlights
Newcastle claim another scalp as Chelsea lose heads
There is a long way to go, of course, but you could not help but feel like these were two teams going in different directions as Newcastle moved a whopping nine points clear of Chelsea in the table and closed the gap on champions Man City to just two points.
Even before this game, Howe's in-form side had won seven out of their last eight fixtures in all competitions by an aggregate score of 20-4; Chelsea, in contrast, had triumphed in just three matches in the same period. Some brilliant Chelsea sides have visited St James' over the years, but this was not one of them.
It said it all that frustrated Chelsea lost their heads at full-time as substitute Kai Havertz attempted to square up to Dan Burn, which sparked a melee right in front of the Leazes End.
The two minutes that decided the game
As poor and strangely unambitious as this Chelsea side were, the Blues still have game-changers in their ranks on the counter and the visitors sent a timely reminder of that in the 65th minute. Newcastle were caught in possession deep in their own half and, after dispossessing Bruno Guimaraes on the edge of the area and playing a one-two with Christian Pulisic, Conor Gallagher let fly with a curling effort that was going in - until Nick Pope made a superb save to push it behind.
In a game of few clear cut chances, it was a huge moment and, just two minutes later, Newcastle were in front. Joelinton hooked the ball over the top for Miguel Almiron to run onto. The in-form Paraguay international then cut inside Kalidou Koulibaly and dribbled along the edge of the box before the ball fell to Joe Willock, who smashed it into the net first-time. It was a stunning finish and took the roof off the stadium as supporters roared: 'We're Newcastle and we're going to win the league!'
Chelsea pay Newcastle the ultimate compliment
Graham Potter knew Newcastle would be 'pumped and ready' and this was an attack vs defence exercise of a very different kind after the Magpies had just 21% possession and one shot on target in the corresponding fixture last season. Chelsea gave Newcastle the ultimate compliment before kick-off by lining up with a back five after Potter previously fielded four defenders in the Blues' last league game against leaders Arsenal last week.
The visitors, who had won seven of their previous eight games against Newcastle, set up to try and frustrate the Magpies as they got men behind the ball and looked to pounce on the counter. Indeed, even when Cesar Azpilicueta was replaced by Christian Pulisic at half-time, tellingly, Potter stuck with his system and moved Conor Gallagher, of all people, to right wing-back.
Chelsea had clearly spent time working on how to deal with Newcastle. Indeed, whenever playmaker Bruno Guimaraes touched the ball, there was a Chelsea midfielder there to immediately put him under pressure, which showed how the traditional dynamic had been flipped on its head when the Magpies previously man marked Chelsea stars over the years.
Newcastle no longer fear these sides like in years previously; if anything, the shoe is now on the other foot. As Man City, Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea and, even, Liverpool can attest, the top six now know they face a tough game against this relentless, hard to beat Newcastle outfit, whether they are at home or away.
Jamie Reuben gets his wish on another big St James' night
This had all the ingredients for another memorable evening at St James. Not only was it a game under the lights against Chelsea; it was the final time Newcastle were playing before the World Cup break.
That only seemed to add to the atmosphere and, in truth, it felt more like a European fixture than a top-flight game at times. Part-owner Jamie Reuben said a 'big atmosphere' was needed for the last game before the break and the part-owner got his wish.
Supporters won't be back in the stadium for another five weeks and you could tell as much, particularly in the second half, when Newcastle upped the intensity and pinned Chelsea back as the Geordies roared their side on. When a whopping seven minutes of stoppage time were later added on, Newcastle fans helped carry their side over the line.
You can see why Newcastle have only lost one Premier League game at home under Howe in 2022. Even Chelsea looked rattled.
Sven Botman's perfect response to World Cup snub
This has been a joyous week for so many of Newcastle's internationals, with Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier, Nick Pope, Fabian Schar and Bruno Guimaraes all being called up by their respective nations for the World Cup, but Sven Botman narrowly missed out on a place on the plane. Although Botman had never previously been capped by the Netherlands' senior side, the centre-back had been on manager Louis van Gaal's longlist so he had an outside chance of making the cut.
The undoubted disappointment of being left out did not seem to affect Botman. If anything, it could yet spur the defender on further after another impressive showing against Chelsea before he hobbled off late on.
We all know what Botman can do on the ball, but the 22-year-old again showed what a solid defender he is on Saturday evening with the way he marshalled Armando Broja. The first instance was when Bruno's poor back pass put Botman under pressure midway through the first half. Botman held off Broja under pressure before the ball fell to Burn, whose heavy touch allowed the Chelsea striker another bite. Botman, though, quickly cut out the danger with a clean sliding challenge right by the touchline, which won a throw-in for his side.
That intervention led to Botman's name being chanted by the Gallowgate and, just a few minutes later, the centre-back managed to head Mason Mount's cross behind with Broja lurking.
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