Toon Army 1 Fleet air arm 0

A moment of Paraguayan genius - aided by assists from two Brazilians - was enough to earn Newcastle a deserved three points on Wednesday and extend their unbeaten home record this season to six matches.

Miguel Almiron's effort was his fifth of the season and of equally supreme quality to the belter at Fulham - another worthy entry in his own personal goal of the month competition and adding to the weight of evidence that he's the most revitalised player currently at the club. Sean Longstaff and Fabian Schar also make that shortlist, but Miggy's goal rush seals it.

His sublime strike marked the beginning of a 15 minute purple patch for the home side; Bruno to the fore and twice working shooting chances only to fire both efforts narrowly off-target. The team move that prompted the second of those was of a rarely-glimpsed level; had it squeezed inside the post then you'd be watching it for the rest of your days. 

Things were more mundane after the interval, as a starting line-up unchanged from the one that took a point at Old Trafford on Sunday looked increasingly jaded. Changes had seemed inevitable but Howe opted to play on and was rewarded with the victory. Had a more proficient side than Everton provided the opposition in this game, then he may well have thought differently.

Playing with strapping on one leg, Joelinton failed to reappear for the second period - ostensibly carrying a knock, but also on a yellow card and surviving one subsequent tackle that was slightly risky.

Everton also played their part in a more even second period, dumping their initial game plan of tumbling over in futile and farcical attempts to win free kicks and spot kicks in favour of actually passing the ball to each other.

The end result was no more effective though; Nick Pope's fifth clean sheet for the club achieved with the visitors failing get a single shot on target during the entire game. Given more opportunity to play as we began to retreat, they were found wanting.

Highly-hyped fashion victim Anthony Gordon was found wanting in both versions of Lampard's master plan - showing little ball-playing prowess on his return to the side after suspension and even less talent when diving.

Gordon's hapless attempt at conning the referee into giving him a penalty kick after Dan Burn brushed against him resulted in a verbal tirade from an unimpressed Trippier, before Schar intervened rather more forcibly.

At times this game felt like a throwback to the latter part of last season -  especially the midweek Palace game, when an almost identically-timed Almiron strike and a rearguard action thereafter secured all three points.

United did threaten a second clinching goal here; but Almiron's shot and Joe Willock's header cleared the bar, before Elliot Anderson's late sight of the target was wiped out by a saving tackle.

Another three points then, another clean sheet and a different way to win that while not always particularly pretty but was none the less satisfying.

Quite what the likes of Trippier have left in the tank for this Sunday remains to be seen, but this was always a more achievable victory than that one and Howe's selection policy was vindicated. Is it fair to call the Spurs game a free hit?

Biffa