By Jon West
EDDIE HOWE hailed former flop Joelinton for the goals that powered Newcastle into the top half.
No-one personifies the Toon transformation more than the Brazilian, who was a £40million dud under the previous regime.
Joelinton – back up front after boss Howe reinvented him as a midfielder – marked his 100th Premier League game with the first two goals.
Fellow Samba man Bruno Guimaraes netted the third as Newcastle climbed to ninth and Norwich slipped closer to relegation.
Howe said: “I’m really pleased for Joe on his 100th appearance.
“They were brilliant moments for him, especially knowing the journey he has had at the club.
“It’s great to have players like that – I wish I had a few more.”
Newcastle were bottom when they drew 1-1 at home with Norwich in November. Now only Liverpool have banked more points in 2002. Howe added: “When you look back at some of the days we had early on they were a long, long way from where we are now.”
Norwich had only themselves to blame for going in at the break two goals down.
Dean Smith’s strugglers were fortunate that Jacob Murphy fired wide after Guimaraes had picked him out
But Kieran Dowell then fluffed two clear opportunities to put the hosts in the driving seat.
Dan Burn flashed a header from a Toon corner just wide, before Joelinton broke the deadlock in the 35th minute.
VAR was required to confirm that Murphy was onside before beginning a sequence of passes across the Norwich box that eventually found the Brazilian in space on the left to fire high beyond keeper Tim Krul.
Howe’s decision to move Joelinton from midfield to start as a central striker didn’t pay off.
But once he switched him to the left the Newcastle man was rewarded with two goals in six minutes.
Norwich won’t want to see any replays of the second as their defence went AWOL.
Murphy burst clear chasing Guimaeres’ through-ball.
Grant Hanley raced back to slide in but the ball still found its way to Joelinton at the far post and he finished easily.
Worse was to come three minutes into the second half as Guimaraes helped himself to a free gift.
Krul, a Newcastle goalkeeper for more than a decade, played a dozy pass towards Mathias Normann that was intercepted by Guimaraes.
The January signing chipped the ball over the embarrassed Dutchman. Norwich had plenty of time to get back into the match but knew it wouldn’t be happening.
So did the home fans, who sat quiet until greeting the final whistle with boos.
It was the away section that made all the noise with a medley of songs from happier, pre-Mike Ashley days as well as in praise of Howe and his current crop.
There was one for Krul too, and the majority stayed on to expand their lungs long after the players had departed.
Norwich remain eight points from safety with only 15 now available.
Smith, hired to replace Daniel Farke in November a week or so after Howe got the Toon gig, knows they will be back in the Championship next term
He said: “We have been punished too many times for our mistakes and we keep making too many. The table doesn’t lie.”
On Krul’s error, he said: “Tim has to hold his hand up – he knows he has made a boo boo.”