Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew felt Fabricio Coloccini made the difference in victory over Aston Villa.
The 32-year-old Argentina international, who had missed seven games with a knee problem, played the full 90 minutes.
Pardew said: "He wasn't really ready, if I am honest. We had a few balls down that channel where I think we were a bit uncomfortable bearing in mind that he has only trained for eight days or nine days.
"But we have worked really hard with him. I spoke to him all week and his presence was everything today."
