Context is everything and with Newcastle’s chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan watching on from the stands for the first time this year, it was a reminder of how far the club have come since the takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2021.
This was a reminder of just how good Newcastle United can be, when they are at their intense, ferocious best, they are magnificent, blowing Nottingham Forest apart like a hurricane in the first half.
For Newcastle, this ended a run of two successive home defeats and means they have beaten Forest three times this season, if you include their penalty shootout victory in the Carabao Cup.
Newcastle have not signed a player to improve their first team since the summer of 2023 and Howe has done incredibly well to keep the positive momentum on the pitch.
Once the emotions had subsided and calm heads returned, it was mainly a very important win for Newcastle, that lifted them back up to fifth in the table, just three points behind Forest in third.
