Newcastle United strengthened their top-four bid with a commanding, 2-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, with the Magpies moving up into third place to raise hopes of Champions League football next season.
With the likes of Liverpool, Brighton and Hove Albion, Fulham and Chelsea all dropping points below in the table, Eddie Howe's men capped a fine weekend with that convincing win over the Old Trafford outfit, in front of what was a raucous St James' Park crowd.
On a day in which both Joe Willock and Callum Wilson got themselves on the scoresheet, the star attraction for the hosts was seemingly that of midfield maestro, Bruno Guimaraes, with the Brazilian ace having been handed the Player of the Match award by Sky Sports pundit, Gary Neville.
The former Lyon playmaker produced a display that was 'fit for the Champions League', according to the Chronicle's Lee Ryder, having registered three key passes and completed 100% of his attempted dribbles, while also winning nine ground duels to showcase his class both in and out of possession.
The £40m man was not the only figure to impress in that relentless encounter, however, with fleet-footed Frenchman, Allan Saint-Maximin also looking "back to his best", according to the Northern Echo's Scott Wilson.
How did Saint-Maximin perform against Man United?
It is fair to say that Diogo Dalot will likely be glad to see the back of the Newcastle wide man, with the Portuguese full-back having previously endured a torrid time of it up against Saint-Maximin in the Carabao Cup final, being 'skinned' early on at Wembley – as per Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst – before getting hooked at the interval.
While Dalot would last the entire 90 minutes this time around, it was a similar story in truth, with the Red Devils defender having again looked 'uncomfortable' against his opposite man, according to Luckhurst.
The former Porto ace simply couldn't live with the relentless and dynamic attacking threat of Saint-Maximin, with the latter man having looked 'dangerous' throughout, as per Ryder, having provided a real creative spark after registering six key passes.
The £70k-per-week maverick notably picked out teammate Willock for the game's opener with an inventive header back across the box, with that the winger's first goal involvement in the league since registering an assist against Southampton back in November.
It has no doubt been a frustrating, injury-impacted campaign for the former Nice wizard, although on the evidence of Sunday's display he could well be getting 'back to his best', with the 26-year-old having made "intelligent decisions", according to his manager.
Such a standout performance – which also included winning four ground duels – ensured that Saint-Maximin was able to record a 7.8 match rating, as per Sofascore, before being withdrawn late on, with that only bettered by teammate Kieran Trippier (8.1) among any player for either side.
The former France U21 international will, of course, need to maintain such momentum between now and the end of the season, although it would be a truly exciting prospect for Howe if Saint-Maximin can truly catch fire over the coming weeks.
