Callum Wilson's arrival could have knocked Joelinton's nose out of joint, but Steve Bruce believed the pair could complement each other up front.
We may only be four months into the season, but Wilson has helped the club's record signing rather than deter him.
Wilson was conscious of not disrupting the dressing room when he completed his £20m move from Bournemouth last summer and the Coventry native did not wrestle the club's iconic No 9 shirt from Joelinton as Bruce feared it 'may have been too much of a kicking' for the forward.
There is no doubt that Wilson is the Magpies' unofficial No 9 - the nous, the instincts and the movement tell you as much before you even address his goal return - but the 28-year-old has been keen to help Joelinton rather than seeing him as a potential rival.
Given his vast experience in the Premier League, Wilson thinks nothing of passing on pointers to Joelinton at the training ground and the Brazilian, a keen learner, is only too happy to listen to that advice.
With Wilson leading the line, Joelinton has not necessarily been expected to fulfil some of the dutiies that he had to get used to last season, such as holding the ball up and maintaining his position high up the pitch as a lone striker.
Rather, when the pair play up front together, Joelinton can drift into areas he is more comfortable in and actually face the opposition goal.
It is far from a coincidence that Joelinton's best league games for Newcastle this season have been when the £40m man has either played alongside Wilson (Crystal Palace) or just behind him (Burnley).
Joelinton lacked conviction in front of goal against Palace on Friday night but it was still an encouraging display and you could tell the 24-year-old was eager to make an impression.
Indeed, with just two minutes on the clock at Selhurst Park, Karl Darlow booted the ball forward and Joelinton got there ahead of Scott Dann to flick the ball to Miguel Almiron down the left.
Joelinton then made a smart run down the line to give Almiron another option and the Paraguay international slipped the ball into the forward's path.
Joelinton knew Wilson would gamble and make a run towards the near post so he cut the ball across goal but Gary Cahill got there first to prevent the striker having a tap-in.
It was early in the game but Joelinton seemed to take confidence from that passage of play and the No 9 had Newcastle's first four shots on goal
While Joelinton certainly should have done better with one particular effort - the Brazilian fired a weak shot at Vicente Guaita just before half-time after Dann had given the ball away - his head did not drop.
There were occasions last season where Joelinton's confidence suffered after missing chances - the forward got frustrated after putting a header wide in his second game for the club against Norwich for example - but he kept going on Friday night.
It was noticeable how Joelinton and Wilson played closer together in the second half and that paid off for Newcastle's opener in the 88th minute.
Wilson hooked the ball over Dann's head and Joelinton pikced the ball up and took three Palace defenders with him before choosing the right time to slip Wilson back in with a smart reverse ball.
Wilson had been 'working on' where Guaita was 'going to come a little bit' and the striker coolly poked the ball through the goalkeeper's legs to give the visitors the lead.
Then, for the second goal, it was Wilson who attracted three Palace players just inside Newcastle's half before the striker spotted Joelinton's run down the right.
Wilson, returning the favour, played Joelinton in and as Palace scrambled to get back into position. the Brazilian turned Dann inside out before his effort took a huge deflection off Gary Cahil to wrongfoot Guaita.
It was a scruffy goal but, as Andy Carroll noted while watching on at home, it was 'well deserved' because Joelinton 'never stopped working'.
Beyond his goal and assist, Joelinton had six touches in the penalty area - the most he has ever had in a Premier League game - and the record signing also won four fouls and made three interceptions in Newcastle's 2-0 win.
Yes, that is the least you expect from a £40m signing but these were the kind of numbers we were just not seeing from the peripheral Joelinton last season.
Perhaps, then, it would be a surprise, fitness permitting, if Bruce did not stick with the 4-4-2 for the trip to Villa Park on Friday night. Bruce's ultimate aim at Newcastle, after all, is to move away from a back five and play with either two strikers or one player off a lone frontman, particularly against those sides outside the traditional top six.
While the formation previously yielded mixed results - it worked well on the opening day against West Ham but was dismantled by Brighton eight days later - Bruce tellingly returned to the experiment at Palace on Friday night.
Jeff Hendrick, who had his best game for Newcastle while playing on the right on his debut at the London Stadium, again filled in on the flank and with Allan Saint-Maximin absent with a calf injury, Almiron started on the left.
Both Hendrick and Almiron offered Javier Manquillo and Jamal Lewis some welcome protection, which was particularly important given Palace's strength out wide, and the wingers also knew the full-backs would offer an option on the overlap when Newcastle came forward.
More than anything, though, the system seemed to suit both Wilson and Joelinton.
