Newcastle United 2 Nottingham Forest 0 | OneFootball

The Magpies made it seven victories from their last eight league meetings with Forest thanks to a stunner from their skipper and Woltemade's penalty, with the German maintaining his record of scoring in each of his starts on Tyneside since his summer arrival from VfB Stuttgart.

He joins Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand in netting in each of his first three Premier League appearances at St. James'.

United's second half salvo came after a flat first period and was the perfect way for Eddie Howe's side to go into the international break as they followed up their midweek Champions League win in Brussels with a well-earned Premier League success.

Howe named an unchanged starting XI from the 4-0 win at Belgian Pro League leaders Union Saint-Gilloise, with the home players wearing black armbands in memory of former goalkeeper and manager Willie McFaul following his passing at the age of 82.

Fittingly, current Newcastle number one Nick Pope kept a fifth clean sheet from seven Premier League games.

But chances at either end were few and far between in the opening 45 minutes. Joelinton was denied by former United keeper Matz Sels early on following a flowing move involving Dan Burn, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier, then Sels made a fine save from the same player in the 15th minute after Trippier's deep corner kick had been headed back across goal.

Pope pushed away a free kick from Morgan Gibbs-White five minutes later before, in the final seconds of the first half, Joelinton saw another effort blocked and Malick Thiaw flashed just wide.

But United came out strongly in the second half, with Morato blocking from Woltemade having initially failed to deal with Gordon's teasing cross, before Guimarães broke the deadlock.

The Brazilian snapped into a challenge to win the ball from Gibbs-White, then after Burn advanced and teed him up, Guimarães took a touch before curling deliciously into the Gallowgate End net.

Forest looked to find a way back into the game, with Sven Botman heading a Chris Wood effort off the line and Ryan Yates sending a header too close to Pope.

But after riding that out, Newcastle nearly made it two when Sandro Tonali's volley from an acute angle was tipped over by Sels, then Woltemade struck the bar from the resulting corner.

Thiaw and substitute Harvey Barnes were both thwarted by Sels but the Belgian was beaten from the spot in the 84th minute. Guimarães was felled by Elliot Anderson and Woltemade stepped up to despatch the ball into the very top corner for his fourth goal in all competitions this term and his third in three games.

In stoppage time, Jacob Murphy came close to what would have been a superb solo goal, but Newcastle go into the break on a high with back-to-back wins.