Newcastle hero Osula the one that got away from Manchester United

As an 11-year-old, travelling over from Denmark, Osula had won a soccer school skills competition at Manchester United and this was the football of the playground with a storyline to match.

The noise when the ball nestled in the net almost blew the roof off St James’ Park. As did the roar at the final whistle.

“He had one moment to show his speed and his legs,” Eddie Howe, the Newcastle head coach, said. “It’s a remarkable goal and that is his strength, his speed with the ball. He asked for 10 extra balls after training yesterday to practice that exact finish. He scored eight out 10 and delivered when it mattered most. That was not an easy finish.”

A team under pressure after three successive home defeats in the league; a team, with their backs against the wall during a really challenging period in their season delivered a remarkable victory.

It will silence any talk Howe no longer commands the respect of the dressing room. They gave everything they had to him and each other. To a man they were superb, sharp, aggressive and bold, with 11 men on the pitch and even more so with ten.

“We needed that, we know we did,” said Howe. “We have been in a difficult run in the league, we have found ways to lose games that we shouldn’t but tonight we refused to stop believing we could win this game. That is the biggest compliment I can pay the players. The collective mentality to defend our goal, it was a big step up.”

There is something about adversity, that burning sense of injustice that brings out the best in Newcastle. And this was a performance fuelled by defiance and anger.

Having looked the more dangerous side for most of the first half, the home crowd and players were incensed when Jacob Ramsey was dismissed, shown a second yellow card for simulation in the first minute of added time.