Perez bags his fifth of the season as

Ayoze Perez fired Newcastle to the brink of safety as his fifth goal of the season arrived in the nick of time against Huddersfield.

The Spaniard slid home Kenedy’s 80th-minute cross to finally break the deadlock on a tense afternoon at St James’ Park.

Dwight Gayle and Matt Ritchie had earlier passed up good opportunities to give their side the lead, but on a day when loan signing Islam Slimani belatedly made his debut as a sub, the drama came amid a tense conclusion.

The Magpies eased themselves seven points clear of the drop zone as a result of their success, leaving the visitors four points behind and still with work to do. Town started in positive mood, with Alex Pritchard dragging a third-minute effort from distance well wide, but the Magpies soon pressed them back.

Jonjo Shelvey drilled a seventh-minute free-kick straight at the defensive wall, and the Magpies were appealing in vain for a penalty seconds later after Kenedy went to ground inside the box.

Shelvey came much closer after Gayle’s overhead effort had been blocked six minutes later, seeing his effort fly just wide after it sped through a crowded penalty area, and Ritchie was denied one-on-one by keeper Jonas Lossl two minutes later after bursting into the box. Gayle saw a longrange effort easily fielded by Lossl, but opposite number Martin Dubravka needed the help of Jamaal Lascelles when Tommy Smith drilled a 28th-minute ball across the face of goal.

However, Newcastle came desperately close to taking the lead seconds later when Gayle ran on to Shelvey’s quickly-taken free-kick and lifted the ball over the advancing Lossl, but agonisingly wide of the target.

The Newcastle striker perhaps should have done better five minutes later when he controlled Deandre Yedlin’s driven