To the backdrop of unrest and discord, finally there was joy and togetherness. This is what Newcastle United and Rafa Benitez can achieve when everyone is pulling in the same direction.
Just 24 hours on from the manager calling into question his long-term commitment - he is upset at broken promises from owner Mike Ashley - his players produced a short-term reminder of why he agreed to manage this football club in the first place.
Their first points of the season were achieved thanks to goals from Joselu, Ciaran Clark and Aleksandar Mitrovic during what was an uplifting afternoon for the home masses, who fear Benitez’s days on Tyneside could be numbered amid an ongoing civil war with Ashley.