Newcastle manager Alan Pardew challenged Papiss Cisse to rediscover his killer touch in front of goal after seeing him end an 11-game drought.
The Senegal international powered home a 31st-minute header to send the Magpies on their way to a 2-0 Capital One Cup third-round victory over Sky Bet Championship Leeds with his first goal since April 11.
Cisse announced himself on Tyneside in style when he plundered 13 goals in his first 14 appearances for the club following his £9million switch from Freiburg in January 2012, but his recent barren spell had proved hugely frustrating.
Pardew said: "All strikers when they are not scoring don't feel like they have done their job. Goalscorers want to score goals and he is always disappointed if he hasn't scored.
"He has had a few good chances in these last few games, but that was an important goal tonight - how important, we will have to wait and see.
"He had a couple of big chances before that and snatched at them, and it just goes to show where he was, really.
"Goals can settle a player down and hopefully it will because he has not been as powerful and as good as he had been."
Cisse's big moment came 14 minutes before the break when he made the most of good work by youngsters Paul Dummett and Sammy Ameobi by beating keeper Paddy Kenny with a bullet header.
However, Newcastle had to wait until the 67th minute to put the game beyond the visitors when Yoan Gouffran accepted Ameobi's pass and turned defender Scott Wootton before blasting home an unstoppable shot.
Kenny kept the scoreline respectable as time ran down, saving twice from substitute Gabriel Obertan after he had been played in one on one, but the Magpies were already home and dry.
Source: PA
