Manchester City's celebrations at the final whistle were tinged with relief as well as elation after a stressful night at Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola has rebuilt much of his all-conquering City side that won a historic four consecutive Premier League titles, so questions remain about whether they can put together the sort of unstoppable run that became the trademark of their predecessors.
On this evidence, it may not be so straightforward, but the bottom line is that City have a winning momentum that is ominous for Arsenal as they start to show signs of nerves.
The atmosphere inside the Etihad was nailbiting in the closing stages as City failed to take the chances they created, while Newcastle posed a serious threat until the end.
And there were two huge contributions from City's players that will have delighted Guardiola, who fist-pumped to all sides of the stadium as he went on a lap of appreciation at the end.
Nico O'Reilly showed his superb versatility playing in a roving role behind City's attackers, scoring two goals and popping up to have an impact all over the pitch.
He may be in England head coach Thomas Tuchel's thoughts as a left-back for this summer's World Cup, but this outstanding display showed he has other strings to his bow.
And once more keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma popped up with a match-winning save in stoppage time, as he did from Alex Mac Allister in the vital win at Liverpool.
The Italian may occasionally look uncertain under the high ball, but his incredible wingspan allowed him to stretch low to his right to turn away Harvey Barnes' goalbound shot with just seconds left.
It sealed victory and keeps City right on track behind Arsenal.