The match-winner was wearing Newcastle United's iconic number nine shirt as he took the acclaim of the crowd at full-time.
But Yoane Wissa was not being serenaded at Selhurst Park. It was Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who swapped shirts with his former Chateauroux team-mate after scoring a dramatic late double in a 2-1 win.
This was a tale of two contrasting cameos from the bench last weekend. Whereas Mateta changed the game when he entered the fray, Wissa did not even touch the ball after being thrown on following his friend's second goal deep into stoppage time. Fellow summer arrival Nick Woltemade only had slightly longer to make an impact when handed a rare outing up front in the 84th minute.
Although Wissa and Woltemade cost a combined £124 million last summer, head coach Eddie Howe made it clear he did not pick the team "based on transfer fees" but as a result of what he saw in training. Howe's words were a little revealing as he explained why goalscorer William Osula was given a surprise start.
"He's got the physical attributes, the determination to do really well," he said. "He's improving week in, week out."
Isak Departure Still Being Felt
Osula's recall was the latest twist in Newcastle's search for a lasting solution up front—seven months after Alexander Isak's painful exit. The club were going to struggle to find a like-for-like replacement for Isak after he pushed to join Liverpool for a British record £125 million. It was viewed as an "impossible" task internally.
But Howe sought to bring in two strikers to share the load after Callum Wilson also moved on. There was recognition that Woltemade previously had eyes for Bayern Munich and that Newcastle had targeted other centre-forwards after failing with moves for Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike, and Benjamin Sesko.
Yet it felt like this £69 million deal happened for a reason after Woltemade scored five goals in his first six starts for Newcastle. Woltemade still boasts one of the best shot conversion rates (23%) of those players with at least 30 efforts in the Premier League this season.
However, in the absence of injured captain Bruno Guimaraes, the technical Woltemade has curiously been used more often in the middle of the park of late. It had been a frustration of the coaching staff that they did not have more time to bring out aspects of Woltemade's game in the final third. They certainly will in the coming weeks as a relentless schedule eases. But Howe's creaking system has highlighted the ongoing struggle to fill the void left by Isak's departure, despite the significant financial investment.