David Moyes couldn’t stop praising Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Even as Dewsbury-Hall made his way to the bench, Moyes followed, still full of compliments. If this match had been at Goodison Park, 50,000 Everton fans would’ve been on their feet, cheering him on. But this was an away game, and everyone – Moyes, his staff, and the 3,000 travelling supporters – was focused on holding their nerve and seeing the job through. Eight tense minutes and one brilliant Jordan Pickford save later, they were all celebrating Everton’s seventh away win of the season.

Plenty of Royal Blue shirts deserved credit for that, but Pickford’s heroics behind enemy lines stood out. Still, Dewsbury-Hall really pulled the strings. He's become the heartbeat of Moyes’ Everton.

When Jacob Murphy’s scruffy volley deflected past Pickford in the 83rd minute, Everton could’ve let their heads drop. Newcastle had thrown everything at them in the second half, pinning them back, but Everton handled the pressure with surprising composure.

Murphy’s goal came after Newcastle’s second equaliser of the afternoon. Pickford was left stranded when an Everton defender’s desperate block awkwardly redirected the ball past him.

At that point, you’d bet on Newcastle going for the win. Dewsbury-Hall had other plans.

Home fans were still celebrating when Dewsbury-Hall, the former Chelsea man, burst through a crowd of black and white shirts, driving deep into the box. He sent in a cross that landed perfectly for Thierno Barry, who bundled it in, which sparked wild celebrations among the Everton fans tucked high up in St James’ Park.

What made this response so impressive was that it wasn’t the first time Everton had bounced back. They’d taken the lead in the 20th minute when Jarrad Branthwaite powered home James Garner’s corner. After a frustrating effort against Manchester United on Monday, where Everton barely tested Senne Lammens, it took just one well-worked set piece for the story to change. Branthwaite’s header ricocheted in off the post after a lively start.

Fifteen minutes later, Newcastle pulled level. You could see it coming, but there was still a big slice of luck: Jacob Ramsey’s shot took a deflection off Branthwaite and left Pickford helpless.

But Everton didn’t sulk. Within two minutes, they were back in front. Dwight McNeil, making a surprise return to the starting lineup after his Crystal Palace move fell through, let fly from distance. Nick Pope parried but spilt the ball right into the path of Beto, who didn’t hesitate, just like he did against Brighton.

Beto was a constant menace. He bullied Malick Thiaw all afternoon, beating him in the air and on the ground. Moyes was left with his head in his hands at one point, though Beto shrugged off Thiaw near the halfway line, raced clear, and hammered a shot past Pope, only to see it crash off the crossbar.

It felt like one of those moments that could haunt Everton, especially when Murphy made it 2-2. Not this time.

Pickford’s incredible save from Sandro Tonali’s stoppage-time volley kept Everton in front – a full-blooded strike that Pickford somehow pushed onto the woodwork. Dewsbury-Hall did his part too, surging forward after Murphy’s goal to set up the winner and getting stuck in all over the pitch. He even threw himself in front of Anthony Gordon’s shot from a distance and twice made sure Tonali knew he couldn’t bully Garner off the ball without a fight.

When Newcastle threatened to overwhelm Everton, Dewsbury-Hall calmed his teammates and led by example. Moyes loves him, the fans are quickly following, and when Everton play well, Dewsbury-Hall is usually at the centre of it. His passing range kept turning defence into attack, and Moyes later called it his best display since coming back from the hamstring injury that wrecked his Christmas.

Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye played their part, as did Garner back in his favourite central midfield role. McNeil won the ball back in his own half to start the move that led to Branthwaite’s goal and linked play smartly in midfield. Vitalii Mykolenko dealt with Newcastle’s set pieces again and again, while

Sunderland head to Bournemouth for a Premier League clash on Saturday afternoon.

Bournemouth come into this one on a roll; they haven’t lost in seven league games, and they’ll want to keep that streak alive against Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland, who are dealing with a pile of injuries. The visitors are missing their main striker, Brian Brobbey, after he picked up a knock during last weekend’s 3-1 loss to Fulham. He’s out for at least a couple of weeks, maybe up to a month.

With Brobbey sidelined, Le Bris probably turns to either Isidor or Mayenda to lead the line. Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, speaking before the match, took a moment to talk about both players.

He said, “Both are quick, really fast. Isidor and Mayenda bring different things. Mayenda can play wider or as a second striker, while Isidor is more of a focal point up front. He started against us in the first game, too.

“Last season, Isidor was excellent for them. He’s a really good striker – strong, physical, and always a danger behind the defence. Mayenda’s got that threat too. He’s left-footed but still a real handful.

“Brobbey’s a different kind of threat, probably more dangerous in the box, stronger there. But Isidor and Mayenda? They’re serious problems because of their speed and athleticism. That’s the Premier League for you, always facing top strikers.”

Iraola also looked back at their last meeting, when Bournemouth let a two-goal lead slip and lost 3-2 at Sunderland. “That was one of the toughest results of the season,” he admitted. “We were playing in a tough place; they hadn’t lost at home at that point.

“We started really well, but after a penalty which I still don’t think was a penalty, they came back. Even then, we were ahead 2-1, but they turned the game around and punished us. Second half, two set pieces, a corner and a free kick, and that was it.

“We’ve got to handle those situations better this time because they’re dangerous, especially from set plays. Plus, they’ve got Granit Xhaka back now. He’s key for them, and you can tell when he’s not there. With him back, they’ll be stronger. But we need to be ready, and hopefully we put in a better first half than last time.”