Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe enjoyed a 48th birthday to remember as his side ended their long wait for an away win in style against Everton.
The travel-sick visitors had failed to win on the road in the Premier League since April.
But aggressive Newcastle started as they meant to go on at the Hill Dickinson Stadium by scoring the quickest goal of the season so far in the top flight.
Defender Malick Thiaw jumped ahead of Michael Keane to power a header past Jordan Pickford and net his first goal for the club from Lewis Miley’s in-swinging corner.
Though Everton rallied, initially, after going behind after just 55 seconds, the hosts only had themselves to blame for Newcastle’s second goal.
Not only did Everton defenders fail to clear their lines following some pinball inside the box, Pickford failed to keep out Miley’s effort despite it being hit straight at him.
David Moyes, unlike a beaming Howe, looked understandably furious on the touchline, but the Everton manager’s evening got even worse before half-time when Nick Woltemade added a third.
Tino Livramento clipped the ball down the line and Anthony Elanga hooked it across to the unmarked German, who nonchalantly lobbed Pickford from inside the area to score his seventh goal of the season.
Newcastle grabbed a fourth before the hour mark when Lewis Hall’s teasing cross was headed in by Thiaw at the back post.
There was still time for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to pull one back for Everton after the midfielder brilliantly controlled James Tarkowski’s ball over the line before slotting past goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
But it was always going to be a mere consolation as Newcastle leapfrogged Everton in the table and moved up to 11th place.
