ST JAMES’ PARK – So it turns out that the world didn’t collapse when Newcastle United sold Alexander Isak.
They lost goals when they reluctantly invited Liverpool back to the table to do a British record deal for Isak a fortnight ago but not their best player.
That would be Sandro Tonali, who was the architect of this much-needed first Premier League win for the Magpies.
If Isak is worth £125m, Tonali wouldn’t be far off.
In terms of importance to Newcastle, the Italy international was starting to outstrip the striker at the back end of last season and he is now the standard-bearer for Eddie Howe’s “up and at them” style.
If you could create the ideal player to fit Howe’s football philosophy, it wouldn’t be too dissimilar to Tonali’s profile.
Technically gifted, it is his commitment to doing the game’s dirty work that sets him apart from his top-flight counterparts.
Saturday’s win against Wolverhampton Wanderers won’t live long in the memory but Tonali’s performance probably should.
No-one inside St James’ Park needs to be convinced of his class.
For all the Isak talk, it is the Italian who has exerted the most influence over Newcastle’s performances over the last 12 months.
It was his emergence after a lengthy ban that helped turn a flatlining campaign into the most successful season in modern history.
So we should not be surprised that when Newcastle needed to get things back on track, their Rolls Royce midfielder revved into gear.
“He covered every blade [of grass],” Howe said of Tonali’s influence. For once that was not an exaggeration.
“He was putting out a lot of fires on transition for us and I think he’s done that superbly well.
“Sometimes it’s not necessarily a quality that registers immediately, but the number of times that he reads the game and where the ball is going to drop and he’s there first, you realise that it’s a massive skill of his.
“With his athleticism and his speed, defensively he’s one of the one of the reasons why he’s been so strong.
“Then, on the other side of the game, his use of the ball and creativity is massive for us. He nearly scored a great goal. I thought it was a great performance.”
This felt like a massive win for Newcastle, similar in stature to the functional 1-0 at West Ham last season that lifted the clouds of uncertainty before their historic Carabao Cup win.
There is no showpiece final this time though there is the small matter of Barcelona on Thursday in Newcastle’s Champions League curtain-raiser.
They will need to play much better to lay a glove on Hansi Flick’s Spanish champions, but Howe’s side have a knack of turning up for the big games.
And there were a few green shoots in this largely arid performance.
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For a start there was a fun debut from Nick Woltemade, pressed into action from the off amid fears of a lengthy absence for Yoane Wissa.
The original plan had been to introduce the Germany striker slowly, allowing a period of adaption for their record signing. Instead he led the line and did a more than adequate job.
You can see he has got technique – a couple of lovely layoffs hinted at how he can help Newcastle’s build-up play – but a super headed finish was just what the stadium needed.
There was goodwill towards the new boy but now there is proof that he can step into the boots vacated by you-know-who.
It was edgy, though, and there is a mountain of improvement required if Newcastle are to hit their lofty targets this season.
Wolves – pointless and rock-bottom of the table – caused them problems and delivered enough to suggest Vitor Pereira should be able to reprise the results that lifted them clear of danger last season.
Twice in the opening two minutes they drew superb saves from Nick Pope and the complexion of the game would surely have been very different if Jorgen Strand Larsen, the subject of two sizeable bids from Newcastle in the summer transfer window, was passed fit to play.
Instead it was Tonali and Woltemade who set the tone. After a few splutters the new era is up and running.