Newcastle's victory against Rochdale was nearly perfect | OneFootball

Newcastle’s 4-1 FA Cup third-round replay win over Rochdale on Tuesday may have been a big turning point in their season.

Though they couldn’t hold onto their clean sheet, with Jordan Williams scoring in the 86th minute, the Magpies dominated from start-to-finish, with Steve Bruce hearing his name chanted at St. James’ Park for the first time since his appointment.

After three goals in a nine-minute span in the first half, Joelinton provided an emotional moment late in the match, breaking his 20-game scoring drought and being embraced by Bruce, his team-mates, and the rest of the coaching staff.

“Many, many players have come to the Premier League with big experience and find it a struggle,” said Bruce. “So let’s hope it just gives him that bit of confidence which every striker needs.

“You saw the difference in him straight away. From the last five minutes to the first five minutes, you saw it straight away because he scored a goal.”

Captain Jamaal Lascelles also made his comeback from injury, going 57 minutes before Bruce brought on 20-year-old striker Tom Allan, who marked his senior debut with an assist on Joelinton’s goal.

Newcastle have failed to advance past the fourth round since 2006 but will have a great chance to do so as they will host League One side Oxford United on 25 January.