Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood believes Steve Bruce deserves great credit for changing the course of the game during Saturday's win over West Brom.
Bruce's Newcastle side ran out 2-1 winners over West Brom at St James' Park but Sherwood felt West Brom were beginning to get on top after Darnell Furlong's impressive equaliser cancelled out Miguel Almiron's opening goal.
The former Aston Villa manager, who was working on the game for Sky Sports' Gillette Soccer Saturday, admitted he was looking at Bruce to do something to take the momentum away from the visitors.
The United boss did just that as he replaced full-backs Emil Krafth and Jamal Lewis with attacking duo Jacob Murphy and Dwight Gayle and the pair combined to bag Newcastle's winning goal.
Murphy's delightful cross picked out Gayle's run and the 30-year-old's bullet header was too good for Baggies goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
It sealed a second successive Premier League win and Sherwood felt it 'was in the script' for Gayle to bag the winner against his former club.
Sherwood told host Jeff Stelling: "I was looking at Steve thinking: 'What are you going to do?'
"Dwight Gayle goes and warms up, gets him on alongside Joelinton and Wilson and they pushed West Brom back.
"It was all Newcastle from there on and it was in the script.
"As soon as I saw he was coming on, Dwight Gayle, and I am sure all the West Brom fans felt the same, and Slaven [Bilic] must have known.
"This kid has an eye for a goal and he almost scored with a header cleared off the line by Matty Phillips.
"Then Murphy delivers a great ball into the box and he gets across [Branislav] Ivanovic and it is a fantastic header into the top corner.
"It gave them a deserved win."
