Two goals in seven minutes as Newcastle United raced into an early 2-0 lead was the exact start the Magpies needed after their 4-1 thrashing away to Leeds United midweek. It wouldn't be a standard Newcastle game without any jeopardy, though, as Hull grabbed a goal back inside 67 minutes before pushing relentlessly for an equaliser.
Ultimately, the Magpies dug deep and held onto the three points, preventing a Mauling from the Tigers in the process. A much-needed first home win of the season for Matthias Jaissle and, coming just before the international break, a massive victory for Newcastle at St James' Park.
Magpies filled with intensity and aggression
The big question around Newcastle this week was about how they'd respond to the thrashing they suffered on Monday night at Elland Road.
Well, we got our answers, as within three minutes Newcastle delivered the first blow; Joe Willock had his initial shot blocked by John Egan, but Hull didn't clear their lines, and the ball was fed back into Willock by Harvey Barnes to put a shot away into the bottom corner.
1-0 up within the early minutes of the half Newcastle had energy, aggression and tenacity all over the pitch much different to what we saw on Monday night. That was again shown just four minutes later when Lewis Hall won the ball back before Barnes advanced into the space and laid back to the left-back, who finished coolly into the far corner.
A fast start from the Magpies, answering all the questions asked about them in the early going.
The midfield, defence and attack shared the same mindset. The backline, including Lewis Miley playing at right-back, looked solid, while Sean Steur looked much more comfortable than he did at Leeds, winning possession in midfield and progressing the ball well throughout.
The first 45 minutes were excellent for the Magpies, and it would have been even better if Yoane Wissa had dispatched his penalty before half-time to make it 3-0.
Defensively assured and focused
Wissa's missed penalty would inevitably come back to bite Newcastle as Mohamed-Ali-Cho reduced Hull's deficit to one goal, giving all the momentum to the Tigers.
Hull found openings inside the Newcastle box, with Lukas Hornicek making a couple of excellent saves, in particular a chance from Mohammed Belloumi's effort from distance.
If it were last season, you would expect to see a loss of concentration and ultimately a loss of the three points, given the Magpies lost what felt like a title-winning number of points from winning positions.
Instead, we saw colossal performances from Sven Botman, Malick Thiaw, and Lewis Hall, who were all on top form and repelled any challenge that came their way in the closing stages.
I mean, that second half brought back memories of how England played in the Azteca against Mexico at the World Cup, even if there was an absence of Dan Burn in this one.
The Magpies did have one glaring chance to put the game to bed when Malick Thiaw went on a crusade into the Hull box, but the chance ended exactly how you would expect from a centre-back in perhaps one of the strangest pieces of decision-making ever seen at St James' Park.
An encouraging defensive shift from the Newcastle backline, characterised by focus, concentration and an undying desire to clear anything that came anywhere near Hornicek's goal.
Teething issues remain, but Magpies' positive start is welcome
Newcastle still need to sort out issues such as the best midfield combination and which structure is most viable long-term, especially given how well the single-pivot worked yesterday. They also need to address the shots they are facing in the defensive phase and their chance creation concerns.
But with eight points from five games played, two wins before the international break, only one defeat and sitting eighth in the Premier League table (for now), that feels pretty solid, especially for a team that is still embedding young and new players into a completely different system.
For now, it's good progress in this early start to the Newcastle 2.0 era.
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