Newcastle managed to make it three successive league victories and they are beginning to emerge as the most convincing team in the division. They have temporarily jumped to second place ahead of early pace-setters Huddersfield Town, but Rafa Benitez will want to reach the summit as quickly as possible.
There is a feeling that once the Magpies get to the top of the league, they will be very difficult to stop and the performance against Brentford displayed the quality that they possess. They were never required to move out of second gear and looked like they could score at will, especially in the first half.
Here are three things that we learned from Saturday’s game:
Jonjo Shelvey is the best player in the division (on his day)
There were doubts about how Jonjo Shelvey would react to dropping a division with Newcastle, but it could prove to be the moment that kickstarts his career. The midfielder has been tipped for great things since making his debut as a teenager at Charlton and he finally looks to be developing into the player that we all knew he could be. He has ditched his petulant attitude thanks to the guidance of Rafa Benitez and he is now consistently performing at a high level.
On Saturday, he was the most influential player on the pitch displaying the impressive passing range that he is known for. He has been given license to roam under Benitez and has enjoyed moving into wide areas this season. Both of his assists came from the flanks and showed the quality of ball that the former Swansea man is capable of delivering into the penalty area. He is only 24 and could be the long term solution to England’s creative problems that were evident against Slovenia.