Blue smoke. A police escort. Deafening boos. Fireworks outside the stadium. Newcastle United's trip to Everton felt like a European night so it was a rather fitting examination of the Magpies' Champions League credentials. After all, you can't get to the Bernabeu without first conquering Goodison Park - and that is what the visitors did during a 4-1 rout on Thursday night.
Even the previously measured Callum Wilson acknowledged: "It's getting closer. The games are running out" after the number nine scored a double on Merseyside. That is an understatement. Newcastle are now eight points clear of fifth-placed Spurs with a game in hand and a superior goal difference to boot. Yes, there are six matches to go still but in this sort of form, it is hard to see how Newcastle do not return to Europe's top table for the first time in two decades following a seismic few days in the race for the top four.
Having put Spurs to the sword in the first half at the weekend, Newcastle did so after the break against Everton this time around after building on Wilson's 28th-minute opener. Joelinton, Wilson (once more) and substitute Jacob Murphy duly went on to find the back of the net in the space of just six minutes late on as the visitors cut loose.
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There was to be no grandstand finish for Evertonians like the corresponding fixture a year ago - even after the hosts pulled one back to make it 3-1 - and Newcastle's response to conceding that goal was telling. The game may have been as good as won but, such are the standards at the club now, Nick Pope threw his arms up in the air in frustration and let out a roar after former Burnley team-mate Dwight McNeil scored directly from a corner in the 80th minute.
Pope, as a result, missed out on just his second clean sheet since February and the goalkeeper did not hide his displeasure. Among those in the vicinity was substitute Alexander Isak, who looked like a man on a mission when Newcastle restarted the game as the visitors roared back rather than wobbling like they would have once upon a time.
Isak had only been on the field a matter of minutes when he picked up the ball just inside Everton's half by the touchline. The Sweden international raced down the left, toying with Ben Godfrey, Michael Keane and Idrissa Gueye, and turned them inside out before unselfishly crossing the ball into the box for Murphy to tap home at the back post. No wonder Isak's team-mates, including Murphy, all made a beeline for him - it was as if the record signing had scored.
To think Howe was able to call on such quality in reserve and the Newcastle boss even had the luxury of introducing Anthony Gordon as a late substitute in the 87th minute. By that stage, thousands of Everton fans had already left the stadium on a night the away end taunted: "Anthony Gordon - he left 'cos you're s---!" It felt like the ultimate flex - here were Newcastle bringing on a player who, remarkably, remains one of Everton's top scorers this season, with the game already won.
"I had a chat with him at length yesterday [Wednesday]," Howe told reporters. "I was confident that he would be able to handle the environment after speaking with him.
"It was a good time to bring him on to almost get it out of the way for him, really. He's played - it's done. At that stage, the game was pretty much over, but it was a really good thing for him to mentally just deal with and hopefully move on now and focus on his career for us."
Gordon and co may have been fresh from their biggest Premier League win in 12 years, but travelling to an Everton side fighting for their lives was a completely different test to hosting a fragile Spurs outfit at St James' Park. You can see why Howe did not want his players to celebrate that momentous 6-1 victory on Sunday - the Newcastle boss instead urged the group to move on to Everton 'very quickly'.
After all, that is what Champions League contenders do - back up big results - and this trip to Goodison was another chance to underline those credentials at a once unhappy hunting ground. Newcastle had won just one of their previous 10 Premier League games at Goodison and last season's defeat particularly stung after the the visitors failed to make the most of a man advantage late on. Newcastle, somehow, conspired to lose the game courtesy of an Alex Iwobi winner in the 99th minute.
Howe knew his side needed to be 'robust' to 'stand up to the challenges that we face'. With those challenges in mind, Howe opted to freshen up his side for the second of three demanding games in a week. However, it said it all that even after making three changes to the team that demolished Spurs, Howe was able to call upon two of this three top scorers, Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron, who came in for Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak, while Matt Targett replaced the ill Dan Burn at left-back.
They walked out to what can only be described as a crackling cauldron and Everton fed off the energy of the crowd in the opening stages as Newcastle made yet another sloppy start on the road. Newcastle were fortunate that they were coming up against the Premier League's lowest scorers and Everton failed to make the most of Howe's team repeatedly giving the ball away early on. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's eyes lit up inside the box in the 19th minute, but Fabian Schar stood tall to deny the Everton number nine with a last-ditch challenge.
It proved a crucial moment and Newcastle soon took the lead against the run of play. There were 28 minutes on the clock when Joelinton cut in off the left and got a shot away and Jordan Pickford could only palm the ball into the path of Wilson, who made no mistake. Goodison was silenced in an instant.
That quality in front of goal ultimately proved the difference between both sides in the first half. Even when Calvert-Lewin had the ball in the back of the net just before half-time, after coolly chipping Nick Pope, the goal was narrowly ruled out for offside.
That let-off was a reminder that Newcastle needed a second goal to kill Everton off, though, and the Magpies came close to doubling their advantage in the 47th minute when Joe Willock's goal bound effort was blocked by James Tarkowski. Everton, buoyed by that clearance, created their best opening of the game just a few minutes later and Pope had to make a strong stop to keep out Calvert-Lewin..
Everton would not come closer to equalising and Newcastle's superior firepower in the final third soon told. Willock had a stunning effort tipped behind by Pickford before the in-form midfielder turned provider for the visitors' crucial second.
Willock raced past Godfrey down the left in the 75th minute before scooping the ball across the box for Joelinton to nod home to make it 2-0 - and Newcastle were not done yet. Just a few minutes later, Wilson got on the scoresheet once more with a brilliant curling effort past Pickford from the edge of the area.
Although McNeil pulled one back from a corner kick in the 80th minute, Newcastle responded instantly as substitute Alexander Isak danced past a number of hapless Everton defenders before expertly picking out fellow replacement Murphy, who tapped home to make it 4-1. It was a goal worthy of the Champions League.
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