The boos rang across Tyneside in riled recognition that all it took to rekindle Manchester City's slip-sliding season was a gargantuan performance from a pair of man-mountains and a scrap wolfed down by a ravenous Goat.
Some 33 years since they last won a league match at St James Park, City trumped the home side with something to spare on Saturday to record their first Premiership success in 11 matches and spice up the relegation scrap.
Newcastle have now gone 23 games without a sniff of a clean sheet, a fact made all the more galling as the visitors' colossal defensive display was masterminded by a former Magpie.
Steve Howey was shipped out for £3.5 million sterling in the summer; he returned to inspire City's first clean sheet away from Maine Road since November alongside Richard Dunne.
After a scrappy first half, brightened only by Wayne Quinn's stinging free-kick that flew just wide, City emerged to dominate the second period.
Andrei Kanchelskis, a livewire inspiration on the right, picked up a short free-kick, skimmed past a trio of opponents and squirted a pass through a clueless back line.
Shaun Goater poked the ball into the bottom corner. "Feed the Goat and he will score," came the joyous chant. Even then, Newcastle rarely threatened until Warren Barton's goal-bound shot was deflected over the crossbar in the dying seconds by Howey's backside. "I had to get something on the shot," added the defender.
"Steve Howey was 10 out of 10 today, probably just in front of Richard with 9.5," said City manager Joe Royle.
Alan Shearer's mind was as sharp as ever, but his body could not respond after two months on the treatment table.
"We're a broken outfit," the home manager Bobby Robson admitted. "We looked a yard off the pace. At one point Nobby Solano chased for a ball with [Danny] Tiatto, who started 10 yards behind him and still got there first. And Solano wants to play for his country again?"
Peru's coach Julio Cesar Uribe is hoping to tempt the wing out of international retirement after naming him to play Honduras next month.
"One goal was going to win it," added Robson. "Near the end Lomana Lua Lua had a one on one with the defender on the right and put it out for a goal kick. That was rubbish. But we have to stick together, re-group and try and get people fit."
NEWCASTLE: Given, Goma, Griffin, Hughes, Acuna (Barton 68), Dyer, Quinn, Solano, Ameobi (Lua-Lua 69), Shearer, Gallacher (Glass 69). Subs Not Used: Harper, Cordone. Booked: Glass.
MANCHESTER CITY: Weaver, Wiekens, Dunne, Howey, Tiatto, Granville, Grant, Kanchelskis, Haaland (Charvet 62), Huckerby (Whitley 77), Goater. Subs Not Used: Nash, Prior, Ostenstad. Goal: Goater 61.
Referee: R Harris (Oxford).
