One year on from a Newcastle debut in which he played like a gladiator, Sandro Tonali picked up his sword and shield. His weaponry had been lowered, however, by the time his team picked up the fight and survived a penalty shootout to make the next round of the Carabao Cup.
Eddie Howe thought he had made what would be the signing of the season when, on the opening day versus Aston Villa 12 months ago, the £52million midfielder scored after six minutes and played with machoism and majesty in a 5-1 win.