The bruised and brilliant Allan Saint-Maximin was back in the dressing-room by the time Callum Wilson made sure of victory with his second of the night, but there was no doubting the inspiration behind Newcastle’s elevation into the top six of the Premier League.
The French winger was again outstanding, scoring the opener and laying on Wilson’s first after Burnley had equalised through Ashley Westwood.
Saint-Maximin’s superiority and the win it caused has brought calm after a stormy few days on Tyneside, in which Bruce angrily rejected criticism over his tactics. But his players, and Saint-Maximin in particular, responded here.