After 49 days in the wilderness and at the twelfth time of asking, Newcastle finally dusted themselves down, rolled up their sleeves and summoned up a long-awaited reaction to their recent run of deserved defeats.

What was 90 minutes away from becoming a dry January ended up as something approaching storm Callum; United's Wilson luxuriating in the service provided to bag a brace and strike the goal frame twice more.

His delightful double brought Steve Bruce's side a first victory at Goodison Park in a decade; an unexpected outcome but one that was thoroughly deserved on the balance of play; the visitors tackling with tenacity, attacking with conviction; passing, rather than passive.
 
Wilson netted a second half brace to beat the Toffees at Gallowgate last November and repeated the feat here to move into double figures for the season, capping United's most cohesive performance since that game.

There were hints of a more industrious approach against Leeds in midweek and that positivity was immediately evident here, against a uniformly poor Everton side beaten just once in their last eight league games.

Key to that improvement was greater care in possession and a better work ethic when the opposition had the ball - we were far more disciplined and focused than the raggy band at Bramall Lane and Villa Park.

The Toffees went close in the fifth minute when Yerry Mina headed over, but that and a Richarlison shot midway through the first half were rare threats to Karl Darlow's goal and his opposite number Jordan Pickford was to become the busier of the two.

Jonjo Shelvey hit a drive from the edge of the area that deflected narrowly wide, before the England stopper tipped Wilson's header onto the bar from Ryan Fraser's corner on the half hour.

United continued to threaten after the break and Wilson should have buried a chance in the 53rd minute but contrived to place the ball wide.

But with Fraser substituted, Shelvey took a 73rd minute corner that found the unmarked Wilson, who flexed his neck muscles to great advantage to power home a header at the Park End.

It was no more than United deserved and with Everton struggling to reply, Wilson almost doubled the lead two minutes from the end when he rounded Pickford, only to hit the upright from a tight angle.

There was still time for a picture book second before the final whistle though, the revitalised Jamal Lewis scampering to reach a pass from substitute Allan Saint-Maximin and picking out the run of Wilson who sealed the victory.

The only slight blemish was the loss of captain Jamaal Lascelles who was injured and replaced by Ciaran Clark early in the second half. He and Schar maintained their discipline with valuable assistance from the returning Javier Manquillo - who has started each of our last five PL away victories.

New coach Graeme Jones was very visible (and audible) in the dugout and looked as thrilled as anyone at full time. From the outside, it's difficult to measure the impact he has had after a handful of training sessions but something put a spring in our step that just wasn't evident previously.

Though not quite on the level of the season-defining player meeting that followed the 1-6 pre-season loss at Leyton Orient in 2009, it's reported that senior players spoke after the Leeds loss - presumably to reach agreement on something other than how not to drop their barbers in the clarts on social media (Joelinton obviously didn't get the Zoom invitation...)

Elsewhere, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham drew 2-2, extending the gap between ourselves and Scott Parker's side to eight points, although we've played a game more.

A 2-0 victory for Chelsea over Burnley on Sunday saw United advance one place ahead of the Clarets into fifteenth. However, Brighton's 1-0 win over Spurs later the same day saw them move to within a point of the Magpies.

Returning to Tyneside with a victory that few anticipated, United now have the opportunity to earn their second league double of the season by beating Crystal Palace at SJP on Tuesday night.

The Eagles improved their own fortunes with a 1-0 home win over Wolves on Saturday, but present an eminently winnable fixture for Bruce's side.

This is Newcastle United of course, where anything can happen - and frequently does. For once though, the manager and his players answered their critics in the right way today - by deeds not words.

The proof of the pudding....

Biffa