Jamaal Lascelles was Newcastle's hero for the second time in a week as Rafael Benitez celebrated his return to the dugout with a third successive Premier League victory.
Skipper Lascelles powered home a 68th-minute header to help Newcastle edge out Stoke 2-1, in the process securing a third back-to-back top-flight win for the Magpies for the first time since November 2014.
Christian Atsu had fired the home side ahead after 19 minutes, but Xherdan Shaqiri levelled 14 minutes after the restart to set the stage for Lascelles to repeat his feat at Swansea last Sunday, albeit with the help of goalkeeper Rob Elliot, who produced three excellent saves to deny Shaqiri twice and Mame Biram Diouf.
If Newcastle went into the game in good form, so too did Stoke and it was they who made the better start with captain Darren Fletcher and Shaqiri pulling the strings.
They went close with eight minutes gone when Maxim Choupo-Moting's shot was deflected just wide as it sped across a slick surface, but it was Newcastle who took the lead with 19 minutes gone courtesy of a flowing move which began when Ayoze Perez held off Joe Allen for Mikel Merino to feed Hayden.
He slid the ball out to Matt Ritchie, whose cross evaded the men in the middle, but feel perfectly for Atsu at the far post as he got ahead of Diouf to fire home from close range.
Stoke set about the process of dragging themselves back into the game and might have done so had Elliot not managed to beat away Shaqiri's powerfully-struck 51st-minute snapshot.
But there was nothing the Republic of Ireland international could do to deny Shaqiri six minutes later when he collected Choupo-Moting's pass, stepped on to his left foot and drilled a low effort past the keeper's out-stretched arm and into the bottom corner.
The Magpies regained the lead four minutes later when Lascelles met Ritchie's corner with an unstoppable header, but Diouf might have snatched a draw at the death, only to guide Bruno Martins Indi's cross wide.
Newcastle: Elliot, Yedlin, Mbemba, Lascelles, Clark, Hayden Merino, Ritchie, Perez, Atsu, Joselu
Subs: Murphy, Shelvey Gayle, Diame, Manquillo, Lejeune, Woodman
Stoke: Butland, Zouma, Martins Indi, Wimmer, Diouf, Allen Fletcher, Pieters, Shaqiri, Choupo-Moting, Jese
Subs: Johnson Berahino, Tymon, Adam, Crouch, Sobhi, Grant
Atsu's goal
Newcastle have been impressive so far for their returning boss.
Good movement and finish from Atsu to give the Magpies the lead.
Strange from Stoke who have beaten Arsenal and drawn with Manchester United in recent weeks.
Early team news
Chancel Mbemba could return to the Newcastle squad for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Stoke.
The Democratic Republic of Congo defender returned from international duty with a hamstring problem amid suggestions he could be out of action for several weeks, but manager Rafael Benitez has confirmed that only full-backs Paul Dummett (also hamstring) and Massadio Haidara (knee) are absent through injury.
Keeper Karl Darlow is also fit again after a thigh strain, but striker Aleksandar Mitrovic serves the second instalment of his three-match ban.
Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross is rated as “touch and go”, meanwhile.
The defender has been carrying a back problem which forced him out of last weekend’s draw at Manchester United, so will not be rushed into a return.
American defender Geoff Cameron (thigh) remains sidelined along with Dutch midfielder Ibrahim Afellay (knee) and Stephen Ireland who continues his rehabilitation from a broken leg.