A relatively routine 4-0 win over a hapless Birmingham City saw Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United return to top spot in the Championship.
It was a good day all round, particularly for hat-trick hero Dwight Gayle, who clinically took his tally for the campaign up to an impressive 16 thus far.
The likes of Isaac Hayden and Yoan Gouffran also impressed, while there were typically energetic performances from Matt Ritchie and Jonjo Shelvey.
Still, one man who moved to silence his critics this afternoon was a certain Mo Diame.
Largely slagged off since his summer move from Hull City, the Senegal international was at his physical best today and certainly made the most of Ayoze Perez’s absence.
However, hopefully a strong performance at St. James’ Park earlier this afternoon can represent a turning point in his career on Tyneside.
So, off the back of his game, here’s how Newcastle fans reacted to Diame’s day.
Easy today, Birmingham crumbled after 15mins, Diame , Hayden, Gayle, Shelvey all stand outs today #nufc
— TalkNUFC (@TalkNUFC1) December 10, 2016
Isaac Hayden is developing into a fine player at @NUFC. Gave a solid base for Shelvey and Diamè to work from. Excellent display #nufc
— Mark Carruthers (@MarkNLDaily) December 10, 2016
Hope Diame keeps playing like that! Everyone was brilliant. Clark has been the unsung hero this season like #nufc
— Josh Stewart (@JoshNUFC91) December 10, 2016
Diame is looking like a new player today. Reckon a Prem team could come in with a £30m bid for him in January… #nufc
— Brett D (@BrettD262) December 10, 2016
Not sure where the Diame we're seeing today has been all season but let's hope he sticks around! #NUFC
— Toonarmist (@NUFC_Scotty) December 10, 2016