The Magpies were in command practically from the first whistle to the last, with Brazilian Kenedy opening the scoring – and his account for the club – just over a minute in.

Pérez initiated the flowing counter-attacking move which led to the wide-man’s second, before Matt Ritchie added a touch of gloss to the scoreline in the second half.

Newcastle now sit 13th in the standings with eight games left to play, and Pérez was quick to stress the significance of a victory against a Saints side who find themselves plunged deeper into the relegation mire.

“We knew it was a massive game for us – one of the most important this season – and we did the job,” he told nufc.co.uk. “It was a solid performance from the whole team – everyone was working really, really hard. We scored three goals, which is really important, as well, and everyone is happy because the table looks much better now.

“With this win, we are one step closer and we need to make sure that these next two weeks, we use it properly. And then we have another fight, against Huddersfield, that 100 per cent is going to be another massive game. If we can get three points against Huddersfield we will be on 35, which is a great mark. We need to make sure we fight for every point, and that’s it.”

The Magpies have a three-week break from competitive action before returning to Tyneside to take on the Terriers, with a four-day training camp in Spain scheduled for next weekend.

It is something that Pérez feels he and his teammates will be able to enjoy all the more on the back of Saturday’s result.

“After the win, there’s going to be a great feeling,” he said. “It’s going to be good – all being together, going over there to Spain. It’s a really good idea and hopefully we can enjoy training in the better weather.”