SEAN LONGSTAFF claims Newcastle United’s season is “up and running” in the wake of Sunday’s surprise 1-0 win at Tottenham – and feels his side’s performance at White Hart Lane was the perfect riposte to the criticism that had built in the opening two weeks of the season.

Having been roundly condemned in the wake of a below-par display at Norwich City, Newcastle’s players produced a defensive masterclass as they shut out a Tottenham side that were competing in the Champions League final as recently as June.

At the other end, Joelinton’s first goal since his club-record move from Hoffenheim secured a first win of the season, and while the Magpies remain in 19th position in the table, such is the surfeit of teams with one win to their name, the mood around the club has changed markedly from this time last week.

Longstaff was delighted to have contributed to Newcastle’s weekend success, and while this week’s back-to-back home games with Leicester City and Watford remain hugely significant, the midfielder is pleased his side will be heading into them with momentum on their side.

“I think there’s been a lot of criticism of the team in the last week,” said Longstaff, who returned to the starting line-up at White Hart Lane after being demoted to the bench at Norwich. “We’re not stupid, we deserved it last week. But this week, I thought we were outstanding, especially in the second half.

“People were putting their bodies on the line, and you saw the reaction that got from the crowd, which was unbelievable. You can see what it meant to them and to us at the final whistle.

“Does it bring us closer after the last week? Yeah, probably, although we were already a pretty close group. We don’t tend to get too high or too low, but it’s a massive three points. It gets our season up and running, and it’s something to build on now.”

Whereas Newcastle had looked all at sea as Teemu Pukki ran riot at Carrow Road, they were watertight throughout as Harry Kane barely had a kick on Sunday.

Steve Bruce’s tactical tinkering worked, with Longstaff adding some legs to the midfield as he replaced Jonjo Shelvey, but more than anything else, it was the increased commitment and work rate of each and every Newcastle player that came shining through.

“I don’t think anyone expected us to get anything, but I think we started with the mindset of the performance having to be better than the previous week.” said Longstaff. “That was the bare minimum, and obviously it turned into a massive result for us.

“At the end of the day we’re professional footballers, so a lot of it comes down to how you play on the day. Obviously, we had a slight little change, and it probably did work a little bit better, but that was probably because the performance was a lot better.

“It’s something to build on. We’re happy in the changing room, happy for the manager to get his first win. It’s the start, hopefully, of a positive run.”

Longstaff will also hope it is the start of a prolonged run in the team, even if his place could be in jeopardy if Bruce opts to make changes for tomorrow’s Carabao Cup game with Leicester.

A lot was made of the 21-year-old’s demotion to the substitutes’ bench against Norwich, and while he understands the need to rotate across the course of a season, he does not want to have to become accustomed to watching from the bench. Having missed a big chunk of last season through a knee ligament injury, there is already a sense of him straining to make up for lost time.

“You want to play as many games as you can,” he said. “But Arsenal was my first proper game in five months. You can play all the pre-season games you want, but there’s nothing quite like playing in the Premier League.

“I’m a professional. You get your head down, work hard and do as much as you can to get back in the team. You cheer on the lads when you’re on the sidelines, and this week I got my chance again.

“There are probably little bits of quality I need to touch up on, but I think that’ll only come with playing games. I’m playing better week on week. Like the manager said, it’s probably going to take a bit of time.

“The type of person I am, I want to be back at that level straight away, but there’s enough good people around me to not let me get too angry at myself. That can happen when there are certain things you’re used to doing naturally, and you have to try to do them a little bit more or think about them a bit more, which can be frustrating

“It’s a start. It’s going to take a bit of time to get back to where I was, but as long as I’m committed, that’s all I can ask for, and I can tidy those little pieces up.”