A commanding 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening offered the clearest signal yet that Newcastle United have moved on from the departure of Sandro Tonali — and done so with impressive conviction.

The result carried an extra edge of irony. Tonali, who joined Spurs last month for a fee worth up to £100 million, had spoken beforehand about feeling nervous at the prospect of facing his former club. By the final whistle, the taunts of the away supporters — "Sandro, what's the score?" — told the whole story.

New faces, instant impact

Head coach Matthias Jaissle has wasted little time stamping his identity on the squad. Newcastle spent a combined sum similar to the Tonali fee bringing in midfielder Nico Gonzalez, defender Amar Dedic, and goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek — all aged 24 or under, and all of whom made their presence felt at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Dedic, a £30 million arrival from Benfica, delivered an assured performance at right-back, while Hornicek, signed for £25.7 million from Braga, produced three critical saves in the first half to keep Newcastle level when the tie could have slipped away.

Jaissle was visibly animated on the touchline, clenching his fists after Hornicek denied Jan Paul van Hecke with a strong hand, and reacting with similar intensity when Lewis Hall blocked a Pedro Porro effort on the goal line.

"In the first half, we didn't play a really good game, but we could really count on everyone throwing everything into every ball and every cross," Jaissle said. "This is the commitment and belief that we can keep the clean sheet, so that makes me proud."

A ruthless second half

Newcastle were sharpened and purposeful after the interval. The visitors needed only two shots on target to dismantle Spurs — a display of clinical efficiency that has not always defined them on the road. Last season, they won just four of their 19 away Premier League fixtures and had not kept a clean sheet since March.

The opening goal was a thing of beauty. Gonzalez launched a sweeping cross-field pass over the head of Andy Robertson, Dedic flicked the ball on at pace, and Anthony Elanga controlled before turning Tonali inside the penalty area and drilling the ball in off the post.

"It is something that I spoke about with the coach, even before the game," Gonzalez said. "He wanted me to see these kind of balls. In the second half we said, 'we have to keep doing this,' because it is really hard to defend players like Amar — a full-back that comes this fast from behind."

A second arrived when Sean Steur's corner was headed down by substitute Nick Woltemade, and Yoane Wissa improvised brilliantly with an overhead kick to put the result beyond doubt.

Elanga and Wissa reborn

Perhaps most encouraging for Jaissle was the form of Elanga and Wissa, two players who had difficult debut seasons at the club. Both have now scored in back-to-back matches after also catching the eye in the opening-weekend win over Liverpool.

"He's a really dynamic manager so we need to give everything," Wissa told Sky Sports. "I think he's the best signing."

Jaissle, for his part, refused to let the win inflate expectations. He took charge just 30 days after predecessor Eddie Howe's final match — a 4-1 friendly defeat against Bristol City — and he is aware that a long season stretches ahead.

"We are also realistic," Jaissle said. "We don't follow that too much. We are emotionally very stable and don't see the highs higher than it is now. There will be challenges as well."