Eddie Howe reveals why Newcastle United captain Kieran Trippier's actions 'confused' him

And it needed a big character – or two of them.

Deep in added time, Howe’s team, driven by the perceived injustice of a disallowed goal for Elliot Anderson, delivered another ball into the Nottingham Forest box.

It was handled by Moussa Niakhate as Alexander Isak attempted a header – and referee Paul Tierney pointed to the spot.

Up stepped captain Kieran Trippier amid protests from the opposition.

This “confused” Howe given that Isak – who had cancelled out Emmanuel Dennis’ opener before the break – was his penalty taker. Trippier, however, was cleverly taking pressure off Isak, who eventually stepped up and sent Keylor Navas the wrong way to give his team a hard-fought 2-1 win.

“I’d love to take the credit for that, because it was good, but Alex is our penalty taker,” said United's head coach.

“He took our last penalty against Bournemouth, and put that away really well. Kieran had the ball, so I was a little bit confused, but it was great to see Alex take it so well.”

Injury absences

Newcastle, having struck the woodwork twice in the first half, deserved the win, as tough as it was on Forest.

What’s more, they did it without the injured Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron, and the suspended Joelinton. Callum Wilson was an unused substitute.

The victory followed a home success over Wolverhampton Wanderers by the same scoreline last weekend, and back-to-back wins have put United back in the mix for a Champions League place.

Newcastle are fifth, and a point behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, ahead of the international break. They also have a game in hand over Antonio Conte’s side.

And that late, late penalty from Isak could turn out to be one of the defining moments of the season.

Certainly, the striker, signed last summer for a club-record £60million fee, is playing with a huge amount of confidence, as shown by his improvised first-half goal.

“I think confidence is key for any attacking player," said Howe, who has taken his squad to Dubai for a training camp.

"The penalty was ice cool. It was a huge moment for us in our season – and it’s not easy to do that, especially with the delay. But he put it away really well. The first goal was a slightly unorthodox finish, but it was great to see one hit the woodwork, and fall in the net this time.”

Test of character

Howe was asked if it would prove to be a “season-defining game”.

"It could be,” said Howe. “I think that we don't know at this moment in time, but it certainly felt a big moment at the end.

"We went through a run of games around the cup final that were difficult games, playing top teams. Unfortunately, we got beaten three times, and it was a real test of our character how we responded to that.

"Full credit to the players, the Wolves game was tough, but it was a huge win – and the same again tonight."

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

And Newcastle are again on the up after a challenging few weeks.