Newcastle United forward Ayoze Perez insists Saturday's win over Southampton has changed the trajectory of their season.

The 3-0 victory propelled the Magpies up to 13th on the table and five points from the drop zone.

With emphatic victories hard to come by this season, Perez reckons Newcastle have gained valuable momentum heading into the final run of games.

"The second goal came at a good time for us and the counter attack was brilliant in terms of great movement," he told The Chronicle.

"Everything went well. It was a great finish which gave us a lot of confidence.

"To go in at 2-0 up in the first half is something important. It's important in this league and we kept it up in the second half.

"It was a massive win for us and three important points.

"I'm really happy and the dressing room knew the importance of the result.

"We did really well and we are one step closer."