Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson admits he was left shocked at Miguel Almiron's confidence given the forward hadn't scored a goal since his move to Newcastle United last January.
Almiron grabbed his first goal against Crystal Palace - the only one of the game - and Thompson applauded the finish, and the 25-year-old's seemingly indestructible self-confidence.
"Someone who hasn't scored for that long, especially strikers, should be short of confidence in and around the box," Thompson said on Sky Sports, "but he's literally on the penalty spot and the technique is absolutely perfect.
"Anyone short of confidence tries to bring that down and make sure you get good contact on it but it [the celebrations] was one of the highlights - it was fantastic."
That win moved Newcastle up to ninth in the Premier League table before the Boxing Day round of games - and left the Magpies unbeaten at St James' Park for the last eight games.
Thompson was full of praise for Bruce - and his tactical decisions against Palace.
"To see Steve Bruce with Almiron after the game - he played him a lot freer - I thought it was a great move.
"The same with Manquillo on the right hand side - he stayed close to Zaha - it worked. Fair play to Steve Bruce."
