It had been a particularly expensive journey for Newcastle United supporters, but you suspect it was worth it. Having, somehow, defied a train strike to get to Craven Cottage on Saturday, these diehards were rewarded for their efforts with a 4-1 win against 10-man Fulham that sent the Magpies up to seventh place in the table.
Just as the 2,300 hoarse Geordies behind the goal savoured Newcastle's first league victory since the opening day - proudly singing 'Who's that team you call United?' - so, too, did players and staff alike at full-time. Standing side by side in front of the away end, Eddie Howe, his coaching team and the entire match day squad applauded the club's remarkable travelling support. This felt like a big win - in so many ways.
Newcastle had 68% possession, 19 shots and eight corners away from home, which were unimaginable numbers not so long ago. Newcastle chalked up similar figures in the frustrating draws against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth but, this time, Howe's side scored the goals to reflect that dominance as Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron (two) and Sean Longstaff all found the back of the net. Yes, Fulham were a man down for 82 minutes, after Nathaniel Chalobah's early red card, but Newcastle quickly managed to make that advantage count in a game the visitors were desperate to win.
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It may have only been Newcastle's eighth league fixture of the campaign, but Howe had reminded his players how important the trip to the capital was as they looked to end their 56-day wait for a top-flight win. The players' response to that message was always going to be telling and Howe quickly noticed how there was a 'good feel about the team' - even before Chalobah was sent off in the eighth minute.
The red card was a big moment in the game but, crucially, Newcastle made Fulham pay and goals from Wilson, Almiron and Longstaff put the Magpies 3-0 up before the break. Fulham looked so shell-shocked at half-time that former midfielder Kevin McDonald was even asked if he had brought his boots with him while being interviewed over the public address system by club media pitchside. You suspect the interviewer was only half-joking and some Fulham players might have preferred to join McDonald in the stands rather than relive another 45 minutes like that.
There was a very different feeling in the away dressing room at half-time as a ruthless Howe stressed 'we want more' rather than being content with the huge lead the visitors already had.
"We were determined not to allow the game to become slow and stagnant," he told reporters. "That's the challenge. It's very difficult because you're expected to then take the game and create chances when, sometimes, it can be very difficult to do so as we found the other way. Thinking back to Norwich last year at home, we did really well with 10 men against 11 so it's not always as easy as it appears.
"The goals came at good times for us. They enabled us to play with that freedom and expression in the second half. I was slightly disappointed we didn't add more goals - we had a couple of really tight offsides - but today is not a day for any negatives. It's a very positive day for us."
Almiron did grab a fourth goal in the 57th minute, before Bobby Decordova-Reid pulled one back for Fulham at the death, and this could yet prove an important result for Newcastle. It was the first of eight league games in six weeks before the World Cup started and it felt a significant fixture even at this early stage of the campaign.
Newcastle certainly started the game like there was a lot riding on it and the Magpies should have been ahead after just five minutes when Callum Wilson struck the outside of the post with the goal gaping after Bernd Leno parried the ball into his path following Dan Burn's volley. It was a huge let-off for Fulham, but it did little to settle the jittery hosts and Marco Silva's side were soon reduced to 10 men.
Nathan Chalobah may have set out to win the ball, but the midfielder's studs were showing as he left Sean Longstaff writhing on the turf with an awful challenge inside Fulham's half in the eighth minute. Although Darren England only booked Chalobah, the referee was soon sent over to the pitchside monitor to take a second look following a VAR check. That is always a tell-tale sign and England duly changed his mind and sent Chalobah off.
Newcastle quickly made that man advantage count just a few minutes later. Trippier's cross was headed back across goal by Joe Willock and there was Wilson, lurking, to hook the ball into the net.
It was a crucial goal, particularly so early in the game, and Fulham looked stunned. Newcastle, in contrast, smelt blood and the visitors doubled their advantage in the 33rd minute.
If Wilson's opener was a typical poacher's finish, well, Almiron's first goal of the afternoon was anything but. The influential Bruno Guimaraes hit a first-time pass over Fulham's defence and Almiron, allowing the ball to drop over his shoulder, struck a glorious volley into the far corner from a tight angle with his left foot.
That was the cue for some Fulham supporters to go inside early to try and beat the half-time rush, but things were able to get even worse for the hosts. First talisman Alexksandar Mitrovic hobbled off with an injury, after not having a sniff against his former side and, then, in the 43rd minute, Newcastle grabbed a third after Longstaff was first to the rebound after Sven Botman's header struck the post from Trippier's corner.
Marco Silva had seen enough. In fact, the Fulham boss did not even wait for half-time to haul off Kevin Mbabu, who was once on Newcastle's books, himself, and Layvin Kurzawa.
Fortunately for Silva, Newcastle were not quite as clinical after the break - even if Almiron grabbed his second and the Magpies' fourth in the 57th minute after bundling home at the far post following Joe Willock's ball across the box. Fulham managed to pull one back late on when Cordova-Reid's header caught the visitors napping, but that did not take the gloss off Newcastle's thoroughly dominant display.
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