Joelinton got what he dreamed of at full-time as Eddie Howe makes pledge until Newcastle exit

Joelinton's team-mates were on their way back to the dressing room, but the entranced Brazilian did not even appear to notice that he was the last man standing at full-time following Newcastle United's 2-0 win against Brentford.

"He's Brazilian. He only cost £40 million. We think he's f------ brilliant. It's Joe-lin-ton," the away end boomed as the midfielder stood in front of the 1,700 Newcastle fans who made the journey to the capital.

This was an unimaginable scene not so long ago when the struggling Joelinton did not even have a fixed position - let alone his own chant.

However, perhaps, no player has epitomised Newcastle's turnaround under Eddie Howe quite like the club's record signing, who has been reborn as an all-action midfielder after a testing couple of years at the club.

Before the game, Howe told Joelinton and his team-mates they were the 'hunters' as they looked to leapfrog Brentford in the table, and the visitors duly did just that on Saturday, moving four points clear of the relegation zone in the process.

Josh Dasilva's red card changed the game in the 11th minute but, crucially, Newcastle took advantage as Joelinton and Joe Willock effectively sealed the win before half-time.

However, rather than getting carried away, Howe was staying calm post-match and stressed that his 'big search is for improvement in every area and it will be until the day' he leaves the club.

As heartened as Howe was by Newcastle's disciplined display, after Brentford went down to 10 men, the Magpies' boss could not help but lament his side's failure to add to their advantage after the break and how the visitors did not control the game more with the extra man. This was despite Newcastle having a whopping 26 shots and 63%