Eddie Howe has spoken about what he sees as a "big moment" for his £63million man Alexander Isak.
The Sweden international came off the bench to score the winner against Fulham and propel Newcastle back to third place in the Premier League table. And Howe feels that Isak's first goal will lift any psychological burden on the player after a longstanding calf injury.
Howe said: "I'm really pleased for him personally to get that goal, a winning goal in front of the Gallowgate End. It's a big moment in our season.
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"The difficulty for him is he's had a period of time out of the team and he's had to watch the team do really well. That's never an easy thing to do for an injured player.
"But he's been very calm and focused on his comeback and what he can do for the team and it was just great to see him and the rest of the forward players link well and score."
Howe's players celebrated wildly after the game and he was delighted with the way that his team reached the halfway point of what has been a successful season.
He said: "It's been a really good first half of the season for us. We've improved from the start of the season to now.
"I think there's still more growth in the team to come. I'm very pleased with the players' commitment and what they've delivered for the team and for me and the club, so I think we're in a good place."
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