Ciaran Clark scored his second goal in as many games as Newcastle defeated Bournemouth to record successive league wins for the first time this season.
It was a deserved victory for the Magpies who overcame a shaky first quarter of the match during which the Cherries took the lead through Harry Wilson.
The Welshman, on loan from Liverpool, finished off one of the set-piece moves of the season as Ryan Fraser and Joshua King played a one-two from a corner before the winger finished off the routine with a superb low shot.
It delighted Eddie Howe in the away dugout as his side produced their seventh league goal from a set-piece this season.
The Magpies went close when Allan Saint-Maximin’s fierce strike struck the bar before they equalised through DeAndre Yedlin, who anticipated brilliantly as he converted the Frenchman’s deflected strike with a flying header.
Clark completed the turnaround seven minutes after the break when he scuffed a shot past keeper Aaron Ramsdale.
The Magpies now have 15 points and move up to 11th, a point and four places behind the Cherries.
In the build-up to the match, Newcastle defender Federico Fernandez said that his manager likes the centre-backs “to be more involved with the ball in the offensive part of the game”.
That guidance is no surprise as Bruce was a threat himself in the opposition area during his playing days at Manchester United. In Fernandez, Clark and Jamaal Lascelles, he seems to have found players in his mould.
With the forward line once again misfiring, the team looked to the big defenders, although that aerial threat was depleted when captain Lascelles came off injured early in the match.
It was 5ft 8in Yedlin, not renowned for his prowess in the air, who equalised for the home side when he steamed into the six-yard area to power home Saint-Maximin’s deflected shot.
That restored the confidence of the Magpies, who scored their second when Clark turned in after Fernandez flicked on Jetro Willems’ delivery.
Seven of Newcastle’s past nine league goals have been scored by defenders.
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The Clarets were ahead through Ashley Barnes’ close-range effort when Chris Wood’s header was chalked off, with the New Zealand striker shown to be just offside.
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Source – BBC
