Newcastle United reaction is bad news for Chelsea and what crowd did spoke volumes

St James' Park was stunned. Bryan Mbeumo did not even bother to celebrate as the Brentford star rushed to grab the ball out of the net after equalising from the spot. The message was clear: Brentford were not about to settle for a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United - the visitors were going for the win. Sure enough, just a few minutes later, Ethan Pinnock struck the post.

How would Newcastle react? Well, on a night the Magpies' Champions League credentials were tested, an experienced diner at Europe's top table stepped up.

The chance did not even look to be on when Sandro Tonali let fly from the touchline yet there was no stopping this jaw-dropping cross-shot. It was a strike that had Geordies singing about Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Lazio and Roma again in an instant. This was the night they dared to dream an already momentous season could be about to get even better - just weeks after ending a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.

As Tonali, the match-winner, told NUFC TV: "It's a massive win for the Champions League." Quite. The gritty manner of it certainly brought back one or two memories.

Cast your mind back to the last time Newcastle qualified for the Champions League, a couple of seasons ago, and convincing victories against Spurs, West Ham, Manchester United, Everton and Brighton did not necessarily tell the full story during the run-in. It is easy to forget there were also crucial hard-fought wins versus Wolves, Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Southampton on days Newcastle were not necessarily at their vintage best in the final months of the campaign.

Newcastle will have to show both of those faces once more to finish in the top five and Howe's team certainly have in each of their last two league games. These wins against Brentford and West Ham came either side of a historic Carabao Cup triumph, where Newcastle produced a herculean performance at Wembley, yet on both occasions the Magpies managed to dig in, which is ominous for Chelsea and Co.

Newcastle simply did not do that enough earlier in the season. In fact, Newcastle slipped to 12th in the table after feebly losing at Brentford in the reverse fixture back in December. In contrast, following Wednesday's victory, Newcastle have climbed into the Champions League places after showing 'heart, endeavour and attitude' in the words of Howe on a night the hosts won 12 more tackles, nine more duels and made a dozen more clearances than Brentford.

"We all want to play really well every game," the Newcastle boss told reporters. "Performances are hugely important to us because that's the best chance for long-term success. We need to play well as we did against Liverpool but then when you put the two performances either side, where we didn't play particularly well but kept a clean sheet at West Ham and nicked a goal and today found a way to fight from a delicate position at 1-1.

"It was evenly poised. Pinnock's header is a big moment in the game. We had a bit of fortune, but I always think you create that and that's six points in the right direction. Now we still have some massive games to come so it's very much in our hands."

Whatever about those huge games to come, there was certainly no danger of Howe taking Brentford lightly. The Newcastle boss even started preparing for this match less than 24 hours after ending the club's crippling wait for silverware.

Howe knew there was no time for a cup hangover and Newcastle quickly signalled their intent at St James' on Wednesday night. The game had not long got under way when Tino Livramento picked up the ball out on the left, skipped past Sepp van den Berg and stood up a cross for Alexander Isak, but the striker could only head wide.

It felt like a big chance - even so early in the game - on a night Newcastle repeatedly struggled to hit the target in the first half. In fact, Joelinton, Jacob Murphy and Isak all failed to test Mark Flekken from decent positions.

Newcastle edged closer as half-time neared, though. Fabian Schar fizzed the ball forward and Pinnock missed the header, which allowed Isak to gallop away. The striker effortlessly turned Nathan Collins inside and out before dinking the ball to Harvey Barnes, who appeared to head Newcastle in front. However, Barnes was flagged offside and a subsequent VAR check confirmed the officials had got the call right.

Newcastle kept pushing, however, and the Magpies' perseverance was rewarded in the final throes of the first half. Bruno Guimaraes picked out Murphy out on the right and the forward looked up, spotted where Isak was and swung a cross into the box. Isak, capitalising on a slip from Mbeumo, volleyed the ball in off the boot of the helpless Brentford star to put Newcastle in front.

How many times have we seen it? Murphy and Isak have now combined for eight top-flight goals this season - more than any other duo. For context, only Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley have ever linked up for more goals in a single campaign in the Premier League for Newcastle.

Yet Brentford have their own dangerous duo who can come alive at any moment - and that is precisely what happened midway through the second half. Around 66 minutes had been played when Mbeumo peeled off the right-hand side and clipped a reverse ball behind Newcastle's defence for Yoane Wissa to run on to. Nick Pope rushed off his line and sent Wissa tumbling inside the box.

Peter Bankes did not need a second opinion - the referee immediately pointed to the spot. Up stepped Mbeumo, to the soundtrack of deafening whistles from the Newcastle fans behind the goal, and the forward coolly sent Pope the wrong way to equalise.

Brentford were not finished yet. The visitors came mightily close to taking the lead just a few minutes later when Pinnock's header cannoned off the post. It was hardly a surprise that Pope gratefully clutched the ball as the Newcastle goalkeeper dropped to the turf.

Newcastle took a deep breath and Tonali soon took matters into his own hands after Harvey Barnes slipped the midfielder in on the overlap down the right. There were twice as many Brentford players in the box at the time, but Tonali was not about to try and pick out any of his team-mates.

The Italy international instead let fly with an outrageous effort from an equally outrageous angle by the corner flag that left Flekken with no chance. Tonali may have humbly admitted that it was '70% a cross', but it was a strike worth its weight in gold. It has Geordies dreaming with nine huge games to go.