A dominant performance against Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise resulted in a thoroughly-deserved 4-0 victory, Newcastle’s biggest-ever Champions League win in the tournament proper. After a testing start to the season, both domestically and in Europe, it also provided a timely reminder of the quality at Eddie Howe’s disposal as he tries to spark his side back into life.

Nick Woltemade made Bayern Munich look like ‘idiots’ as he claimed his third goal of the season, Anthony Gordon dispatched a pair of perfect penalties and substitute Harvey Barnes rounded off the scoring with nine minutes left. It was Anthony Elanga that was the star of the show, though, helping set up the opening two goals as he dazzled down the right wing. Amid all the talk of strikers coming and going this summer, Newcastle’s successful prising of Elanga from Nottingham Forest was somewhat overlooked. If he can reproduce this kind of display on a regular basis, the 23-year-old will be crucial to his side’s attacking play this season.

Direct and purposeful, Elanga threatened every time he ran at USG wing-back Ousseynou Niang. With Woltemade and Gordon also impressing, perhaps a new-look Newcastle front three is...