And although Nick Pope's eighth straight clean sheet in all competitions owed much to a huge slice of good fortune following a bizarre penalty incident involving former United striker Aleksandar Mitrovic midway through the second half, the Magpies deserved the three points after Eddie Howe's bold decision to pair Isak with Callum Wilson in the latter stages as his side pushed to make the breakthrough.

After a bright start from the hosts which saw Joe Willock shoot wide and Sean Longstaff denied by a superb last-ditch block from Issa Diop, the first half was relatively low on incident.

Kenny Tete fired over for the visitors - who were on a five-game winning streak - before, in the 23rd minute, Wilson saw a header saved by Bernd Leno after he connected with Kieran Trippier's ball in from the right.

The Fulham goalkeeper then pushed over a shot from the Newcastle number nine after Wilson had made space following great work from Fabian Schär, who had brought the ball out of the defence in trademark fashion.

Wilson was frustrated by Leno again in first half stoppage time when the striker looked to bend an effort home from just inside the area then, with the last kick of the half, Miguel Almirón saw a low shot comfortably fielded by the keeper.

Allan Saint-Maximin replaced the injured Bruno Guimarães at the interval and United continued to probe, with Wilson sending a header wide after connecting with Trippier's corner then, just after the hour-mark, Schär hitting the woodwork with a thumping free kick. The ball rebounded to Almirón, whose follow-up was deflected behind by Diop, and from the resulting flag-kick Wilson glanced wide.

Then came the spot-kick drama. Referee Robert Jones pointed to the spot after a VAR check, deciding at the second glance that Trippier had brought down Bobby Decordova-Reid, and Mitrovic stepped up. But he slipped, with the ball cannoning off both feet on its way into the net - meaning a free kick to Newcastle rather than a goal to Fulham.

Howe's response was to introduce Isak for his first league appearance since September, and after Wilson was thwarted again by Leno and Saint-Maximin had come agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock, the Swedish striker did so in the 89th minute.

Longstaff's cross towards Wilson at the far post was prodded back across by the England man to Isak, and he applied the finishing touch from close range. It was Newcastle's 20th shot of the game - and it was ultimately the one that mattered.