IF any explanation was required as to how Newcastle managed to overcome their growing injury crisis to so comfortably and impressively swat aside Chelsea, then it came in the form of words and actions immediately after Saturday's full-time whistle.

After a victory lap - with teenage star Lewis Miley front and centre, just as he had been in the 90 minutes prior - Newcastle's players headed down the tunnel, where they were greeted, as is often the case, by their their injured and unavailable teammates.

The victorious players were met by roars of appreciation, pats on the back and handshakes, a show of unity and togetherness, a quality more important than ever right now and in the coming weeks.

"That's the way we are, very much together as one," beamed Eddie Howe afterwards.

"What we have here that some teams don't have is togetherness," said Joelinton.

"We're a family, we fight for each other, we give everything and that's the most important thing."

Chelsea will continue to splurge cash but they can't buy unity and harmony. Newcastle - so short of players that Howe named three goalkeepers and four academy youngsters on his bench - had no real right to win so comprehensively, but it says everything about the character Howe has nurtured that his players rose to the challenge as St James' Park as Mauricio Pochettino's visitors crumbled in embarrassing and - from a Chelsea perspective - deeply concerning fashion.

Reece James was sent off but don't be fooled into thinking that had any impact on the outcome. Newcastle were already 3-1 up and well on their way to victory when James picked up a second yellow a foul on Anthony Gordon. That was 73 minutes in the making. Gordon caused James no end of problems and deserved his late goal to round off the victory. Gordon and James should be in the same team soon enough, for Gareth Southgate simply can't continue to ignore the dazzling form of Newcastle's forward.

And you'd be brave to bet against Lewis Miley becoming an England international in the future. Had you been ignorant to the back-stories and told there was a £107m midfielder on the pitch, you wouldn't have guessed it was Enzo Fernandez.

“You look at the players who were missing and that was a giant performance from the players we have fit," said Howe.

"It's such an important win for us with the position we're in, the stretched resources that we have.

“To be able to come together and give a performance like that speaks volumes for the character of the players we have, the leaders we have in the group and our ability to just focus on the present, on what's happening right now.

"It's very easy in these moments for the players we have that are playing to feel a bit sorry for themselves and to look for excuses outside of their own performance. But we didn't allow that to creep into our mentality and that's the biggest compliment I can give."

READ MORE:

The question is, how deep can these players go? A glance at Saturday's bench tells you there isn't much room to manoeuvre at PSG on Tuesday and with most of Newcastle's injuries relatively long-term, the coming spell is going to be an almighty challenge for the players who are currently fit.

"The problem we'll have is if we suffer any more injuries from this moment," admitted Howe.

"That's going to be a real challenge for us. I'd rather just think about this win rather than the future, but this was certainly a big result for us, to lift ourselves and lift our mood and forget the most recent results. And yes, we needed to go to Paris with positive momentum.

"I could feel a real unity in the dressing room. A lot of the injured players were in there with us. It was a feeling of togetherness. We're desperate to get some players back to help, but it was a very positive vibe between everybody."

It goes without saying that the return of Isak is a huge boost and the Swedish striker looked sharp, taking just 13 minutes to mark his return to action with a goal. For all Isak's finish was clinical, the opener was all about the vision and composure of Miley.

Newcastle were in control but let Chelsea back into the game when Jamaal Lascelles conceded possession in the centre-circle and Raheem Sterling charged towards the home box before going down very easily after the slightest of touches from Kieran Trippier. Trippier was furious. Even more so when Sterling picked himself up to lift his free-kick up and over the wall and into Nick Pope's net. Pope made a super save to deny Fernandez before the break but after the restart it was one way traffic.

Lascelles made amends for his first half mistake with a thumping header on the hour mark, his first league goal since the 3-3 draw with Brentford in November, 2021. The Magpies slipped to the bottom of the table that day and Howe, in the early stages of his tenure, realised he was facing a major challenge.

That is now the case for Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea. Up in the stands because of a touchline ban, he watched his side collapse. Joelinton pounced on a Thiago Silva error to wrap up the points just 60 seconds after Lascelles' header, before James saw red and Gordon struck his fifth of the season.