Dwight Gayle made just his third Newcastle appearance under Eddie Howe on Sunday.
The striker made a late cameo against Leicester, replacing Allan Saint-Maximin in the 91st minute with the score at 1-1. Four minutes later and Newcastle had secured another three points.
The 95th minute winner from Bruno Guimaraes sent St James’ Park wild, and probably made Gayle crave even more minutes.
That could happen tonight, with the Magpies facing Crystal Palace in their third successive home game. But will the out of favour forward receive another chance from Howe?
Dwight Gayle actually played a part in Newcastle’s last-gasp winner
On the face of it, Gayle’s Leicester cameo was nothing exciting. He was lucky if he touched the ball more than once.
However, his pressing has to be praised. The 32-year-old used his limited minutes wisely, relentlessly chasing the Leicester defence. That lifted the crowd, who could sense there was one more chance in this game.
That’s exactly what happened, with Bruno’s last gasp diving header.
It led to wild celebrations, and Gayle was a part of that. It was an incredible moment that will be remembered for a long time.
And it will only increase Gayle’s desire to play more. He’s been praised heavily by Howe in the press, who recently called him a ‘real leader in the group’.
But despite Howe’s comments, Gayle is yet to start a game under the new manager.
That likely won’t change tonight. Chris Wood has started every single game since his £25million arrival, and is an ideal focal point for the Magpies.
But he was disappointing against Leicester, which saw him withdrawn with 20 minutes to go. A similar performance tonight could see him substituted again, and perhaps create an opportunity for Gayle.
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