Steve Bruce reveals the most important thing he has learned about his Newcastle United squad

United walked away from north London with all three points, live in front of the Sky Sports cameras, despite many not giving them a hope.

Just eight days previous Bruce’s men were humbled by newly-promoted Norwich City at Carrow Road, which led to widespread criticism from the United fanbase and beyond.

Bruce says he now knows his players can deal with the criticism that comes their way and not wilt under intense pressure.

Although, he now says the players have set a benchmark for themselves – and the bar is very high.

“They have set the standard which we now have to maintain, that’s the big thing now,” said Bruce, whose side take on Leicester City at St James’s Park tomorrow in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

“Consistency is what every good team needs. It was the type of performance, big game, live on Sky, Tottenham in one of the greatest arenas in Europe, so to go down to the capital and beat them was terrific. The performance, the response from the players was clear for everyone to see.

“In all of it, the most important thing was the response. The players knew they didn’t play well enough against Norwich, but on any given day it can happen to you. The response was the most important. The criticism is something we will always have to live with.

“It’s the manner in which they went about the job, everyone associated with the club, the way they went about their work was good to see.”

Reflecting back on the Canaries debacle, Bruce admits he was not expecting a show like it – and hopes never to see it again.

“I didn’t see it coming at Norwich because they performed well since coming through the door. We have spoken about it, the most important thing was the response,” he said.

“It’s not often you go to Tottenham and win, and there wont be many winners there. There’s shades of light that we all needed.”