Rafa Benitez described Newcastle's second victory in the space of four days as "an important step forward" in adapting to Championship football after beating Bristol City 1-0 at Ashton Gate.
The manager was particularly pleased with his side's defensive organisation and battling spirit in hanging on to the slender lead provided by Dwight Gayle's 19th-minute goal.
Benitez said: "The clear message to the players is they need to work as hard as they did and then use the quality we have.
"It was difficult for us because of the number of times they put balls into our box.