Newcastle United played out an entertaining score draw against West Ham as they continued their unbeaten run.
It is six matches without defeat in the Premier League and now four since lockdown was ended for the Premier League.
But it was a mixed bag for the Magpies, with two moments of poor defending undermining an otherwise decent first half effort.
Newcastle remain on the outskirts of the top ten and head to Manchester City on Wednesday. Here are five things we learned from the 2-2 draw.
Miguel Almiron's transformation is complete
If the PFA added a most improved player baubel to their end of season awards, Miguel Almiron would surely be in the running for the award.
The Paraguay forward burst onto the scene in the Premier League with a series of energetic performances last year but was unable to sustain those frenetic displays. Lesser players would have wilted when his long barren run became a topic for national debate and a new Head Coach tried him out in a number of roles in a system that didn't seem to be suited to his natural game.
But Almiron has shown what a naturally gifted footballer he is by adapting his game to the Premier League and is now profiting.
Forget the talk of Atletico Madrid - an ambitious agent was talking up those fanciful claims last week - but he does now look like a proper Premier League forward and will surely end the season in double figures. His goal against West Ham was all about timing and movement and just like at Bournemouth, the finish was accomplished.
Almiron is a real asset for Newcastle.
Newcastle needs respite in the takeover saga
There were rumours of Mike Ashley's helicopter being spotted in the Tyneside skies on Sunday as Steve Bruce admitted he was "fed up" of takeover questions.
That initial burst of elation at a new regime has subsided and Newcastle isn't even on tenterhooks anymore: it's just wearied by the whole thing.
The good news is the team have not taken their eye off the ball but we need an answer from the Premier League so we can get on with planning for next season.
United are six unbeaten but on Wednesday we'll probably see how far below the elite they remain. Mid-table is a good return for Steve Bruce but honestly? It doesn't represent progress for the football club, which finished 10th two years ago.
They should aspire to more and if they're going to achieve that this side needs to be improved next season and needs to not have Ashley as its owner.
Midfield and striker reinforcements are required - proper, top class internationals capable of landing on their feet in England - and only funds are going to do that. But there's so much uncertainty that talking about anything recruitment-wise seems a futile exercise at the moment.
Joelinton quandry
Newcastle United's number nine is a £40million record signing but remains, to put it politely, an enigma.
Played out wide at Bournemouth, he played well. But he was quieter against West Ham and it's still a valid topic of debate about whether he'll ever make the sort of transition Miguel Almiron has from promise to fully-blown Premier League performer.
The problem with Joelinton has been that there hasn't been a heck of a lot to shout about this season. Some flashes of potential aside, it's been more like today was: a step behind and looking more like a £8million one-for-the-future signing than a record capture.
What the future holds for Joelinton in a Newcastle shirt remains very uncertain.
Time for Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro's auditions
Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff are both out for the rest of the season while Allan Saint-Maximin's tank is running empty.
Step forward Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro - who will both get runs of games which will decide their respective futures.
Bruce wants to keep Bentaleb and Lazaro would prove a useful addition given the flashes of promise we've seen so far. But now they need to be tested against the best, with Manchester City on Wednesday and Liverpool and Tottenham on the horizon.
The omission of Lazaro against the Hammers was a surprise given his decent cameo on Wednesday. Bruce put it down to retaining the core of the team who did so well in the South Coast but now he needs starts to make his case.
Battling spirit needs to be preserved
Do you remember when conceding a goal used to be terminal for Newcastle's hopes of picking up three points?
During the latter stage of the Alan Pardew era and the ill-fated Steve McClaren experiment Newcastle would never have climbed off the canvas to get a point or victory.
But you just can't keep this Newcastle side down. They've bounced back from three spells of very lean form this season and this was their battling spirit distilled: posting speedy ripostes to West Ham's goals.
Whatever happens in the future, United's power brokers must recognise that what this team have in team spirit and belief is not easily replicated. The goal must be to build on this side and its characteristics, not wipe it out entirely.
