SEAN LONGSTAFF knows he is not the flashiest or most popular member of the Newcastle United squad.

“Some people think I should play - some people think I should be nowhere near it and can’t play a two-yard pass,” he said in a TV interview at the weekend. While Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock and Sandro Tonali were all serenaded from the St James’ Park stands at various stages of Saturday’s 1-0 win over Arsenal, Longstaff’s name went unsung despite the North Shields native being an academy product made good and a boyhood fan of the Magpies.

The 27-year-old accepts he is never going to be the biggest-name midfielder at the club. Increasingly, though, the evidence is mounting to suggest he might be the most important. Newcastle have won seven matches in all competitions this season, and Longstaff has started every one of them. The six games when he has not been in the starting XI have resulted in three draws and three defeats.

“I don’t think that’s a coincidence,” said Eddie Howe, whose side are beginning to develop something of a stranglehold over Arsenal at St James’, having won three of their last four home games against the Gunners. “Statistically, the team with Sean in it does have a very high win percentage.

“We do look at those type of things because sometimes it can give you a clue. It’s not going to give you the answers, but it can give you a clue around some things. Sean does bring his qualities – his tactical understanding is second to none, and that does help the team in lots of ways. But there’s other reasons for that. I don’t think it’s just as simple as put Sean in the team and you’ll win. I wish it was that easy.”

Fair enough, but while Longstaff’s presence in the team might not be a cast-iron guarantee of success, it does ensure a much better balance to the make-up of the Newcastle midfield.

The best XI players do not always combine to produce the best team. Guimaraes and Tonali can claim to be the most naturally-talented of Newcastle’s midfield options, but it has become increasingly clear that they both want to play in the same central position and are at their best when they are doing very similar things. Hence, when one is moved out of the central role, their effectiveness diminishes significantly.

Newcastle’s performance level improved last Wednesday when Tonali played in the central-midfield position and Guimaraes was left on the bench, and went up another level against Arsenal when Guimaraes got the nod to start and Tonali was only introduced midway through the second half.

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Longstaff started both matches, with his energy, athleticism and willingness to stick to strict tactical instructions adding strength and solidity to a midfield unit that had been much too easy to play against in his absence. On the ball, Longstaff’s qualities are often underrated. He is a fine passer and looks to break into the box to get a shot away. It is off the ball where his talents enable him to stand apart, though, and whenever a Newcastle player was sticking out a leg at the weekend to block a shot or prevent an opponent from breaking clear, it was invariably Longstaff’s boot that was doing the blocking or tackling.

Call it the ‘dirty work’ if you want, but every successful team needs an unsung hero, plugging gaps and putting out fires to enable those around him to flourish. Longstaff is that player at Newcastle, and while his presence in the starting line-up might mean a more fashionable midfielder has to miss out, results and performances suggest that is a sacrifice worth making.

“For me, the team overrides any individual,” said Howe. “The team has to take priority, so you can think whatever you think about individual players, but the midfield or any area of the team that you're talking about has to function well together.

“I thought it did today. I was really pleased. Joe Willock had something different, Sean had something different, Bruno had something different, Sandro does. They're all unique players, and then you're missing out Joelinton, who's played wide and done an incredible amount of effort and work for the team in different areas of the pitch, so it's good to have those decisions. I'm sure there'll be a lot more debate as we move forward.”

There will be, but Newcastle’s last two performances have witnessed a welcome return of the qualities that were so important to the club’s successful qualification for the Champions League two seasons ago and have therefore established a bar that must be met for the remainder of the campaign.

This was Howe’s side bristling with intensity again, pressing aggressively high up the field, needling the opposition and, yes, utilising the ‘dark arts’ that so infuriate Mikel Arteta. “We got dragged into the game they wanted,” said the Arsenal boss. “They’re very good at what they do.” A backhanded compliment if ever there was one.

Arteta just about had cause for complaint when his side lost to Anthony Gordon’s controversial winner last season, but the Spaniard had no excuses to fall back on this time around.

Alexander Isak headed home Gordon’s wonderful 12th-minute cross to claim the only goal of the game, but Newcastle were the dominant force throughout, restricting their title-chasing opponents to just a solitary effort on target.

Lewis Hall, who has surely been Newcastle’s Player of the Season so far, rendered Bukayo Saka completely ineffective, while Tino Livramento was every bit as impressive against Gabriel Martinelli on the opposite flank.

“It’s been a really good few days for us,” said Howe. Indeed, it has. A season that was teetering towards the precipice is firmly back on track.