STEVE BRUCE hailed Allan Saint-Maximin’s match-winning impact at Burnley – and admitted the Frenchman’s super-sub display had dramatically improved Newcastle United’s position in the bottom half of the table.

Saint-Maximin turned Newcastle’s game with the Clarets on its head after coming off the substitutes’ bench in the 57th minute at Turf Moor.

Within two minutes of being on the pitch, he was setting up Jacob Murphy’s equaliser with his first meaningful touch, and then five minutes later, he dribbled upfield from the halfway line before drilling home a superb low strike.

Saint-Maximin has had a stop-start season, with a two-month lay-off after a Covid infection preceding a groin injury that sidelined him for another six weeks, and his importance was immediately apparent yesterday as he transformed the game in an instant.

“Probably, only Allan could do that,” said Bruce. “When you see him like that, you see what we’ve missed over the last few weeks and months.

“All week, we were questioning whether they (Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson) were ready. They’ve had big injuries. To keep them well is so important because we’re a different animal if those two are in the team. Unfortunately, they haven’t been in the team often enough.

“That’s Allan’s 18th appearance out of 31, and I’m not so sure how many of them he actually has started. Too often this season, our big players haven’t been available. When you’re a club in the bottom half of the division, you need your big players. It’s not rocket science – you can see the difference he makes to the team.

“He’s a very, very talented player who unfortunately hasn’t been available for half of the season. It’s been a struggle without him because he can make things happen.”

Bruce was also quick to praise goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, whose willingness to leave his line to claim crosses and punch clear was a major factor in Newcastle’s success.

“He made a big save just before half-time, and then he was so dominant, which was just what we needed,” he said. “They pile it into your box, and you know what’s coming. They’ve got wonderful delivery and put it on the money all the time. You need your goalkeeper to come and be big and dominant, and in my opinion, that’s been his best performance for a long time.”

The victory lifts Newcastle six points clear of the relegation zone, with a game in hand on 18th-placed Fulham, and moves them level on the 32-point mark with Brighton, who host Everton tonight.

They still need another couple of victories to be sure of survival, but can head into a daunting run of games that pits them against West Ham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester and Manchester City in a much better state than the one they found themselves in when they lost at Brighton last month.

“It’s three points towards that magical figure,” said Bruce. “It doesn’t matter what other teams do – you’ve got to get there yourself. You’ve got get to that figure, and it edges us towards it. What it’s going to be, I’ll let other people guess. It’s certainly a lot healthier now than it was this morning.”