Resurgent Newcastle laid down a marker for the second half of the season after staging a first-half blitz to see off Tottenham 3-1 on Tyneside. Manager Glenn Roeder insisted in the run-up to the game that his side should set their sights on European qualification after mounting a concerted fightback in recent weeks.
And after a fifth Premiership victory in six attempts, his view does not appear too bullish.
Midfielder Kieron Dyer set the tone with a superb third-minute opener, and when £10million striker Obafemi Martins headed home his ninth goal of the season four minutes later, a crowd of 52,079 - the biggest of the season at St James' Park - settled down for a thrilling afternoon.
However, Spurs were not about to concede the points and dragged themselves back into the game when Danny Murphy's shot was deflected home by Steven Taylor.
But Scott Parker's 34th-minute header sealed the points with almost an hour still to play to head into the Christmas period brimming with confidence.
Already without the injured Robbie Keane, Martin Jol was dealt another blow after the warm-up when he was forced to withdraw Jermain Defoe and name midfielder Murphy in his place.
The former Liverpool man was to make his mark, but his 15th-minute strike, which was deflected past Shay Given by the helpless Taylor, proved little more than consolation for his side.
Newcastle simply exploded out of the blocks and found themselves 2-0 up with just seven minutes gone.
Dyer, released form the wide midfield role he had filled in the two previous games to play off lone striker Martins, showed once again how dangerous he can be with three minutes gone.
The Nigerian turned Nolberto Solano's clearance into the England midfielder's path and with the Spurs defence backing off, he raced towards goal before beating Paul Robinson with a deft side-footed shot.
It was 2-0 within four minutes when a rickety Tottenham rearguard was breached for the second time, Parker exchanging passes with James Milner before crossing for Martins to head home his sixth Premiership goal in five games.
To their credit, Jol's men regrouped quickly and with the passing and movement of midfield quintet Didier Zokora, Hossam Ghaly, Tom Huddlestone, Steed Malbranque and Murphy causing the Magpies all sorts of problems, they grabbed a lifeline.
Murphy's strike from a Pascal Chimbonda cross was far from clean, but Taylor's touch was and the ball flew past the wrong-footed Given.
However, it was opposite number Robinson who was left red-faced 11 minutes before the break.
He could not hold Milner's free-kick and although he atoned for the error with excellent reaction saves from first Taylor and then Martins, Parker headed the loose ball into the empty net to make it 3-1.
Newcastle returned knowing the job was only half done, and they were served with a reminder of that within three minutes.
Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov, who had proved a handful in the lone striking role before the break, was no less dangerous after it, and he might have reduced the deficit within three minutes of the restart.
The powerful frontman got himself between Taylor and Peter Ramage to run in on goal, but with Given advancing, he poked his right-foot shot wide of the far post.
Teenage defender Paul Huntington's mishit clearance handed defender Michael Dawson a chance to shoot from close range on 54 minutes, but he made no better contact.
Spurs were pressing and Ramage had to clear hurriedly after Malbranque had crossed towards Berbatov on 59 minutes, and each had penalty appeals rightly waved away in quick succession.
Antoine Sibierski and Mido arrived as replacements for Emre and Zokora respectively with 66 minutes gone as one side looked to consolidate and the other sought a way back into the game.
The Egyptian presented a new challenge for the home defence with makeshift right-back Solano in particular coming under pressure, but his side held firm.
Tottenham were throwing everything they had at the Magpies, but getting little change from a defence comprising three youngsters and a winger.
As the Londoners threw men forward, Newcastle looked to hit them on the break, and it took a good save from Robinson to deny Martins a second goal of the afternoon with 10 minutes remaining.
There was a change in the home goal three minutes from time when crowd favourite Pavel Srnicek, making his first appearance for the club in more than nine years at the age of 38, replaced the injured Given to cap a more than pleasant afternoon for the Toon Army.
