Dwight Gayle was struck on a night out in Liverpool to celebrate Jamaal Lascelles’s 23rd birthday the weekend before the Leeds game.
The 26-year-old, signed from Crystal Palace in the summer, suffered damage to several tooth veneers and needed dental work ahead of the game.
But Gayle was desperate to play at Elland Road.
And Newcastle fans chanted “Dwight Gayle, he scores with no teeth” as the jubilant striker left the field with Lascelles at the final whistle.
Asked about Gayle’s determination to put the incident behind him and play, defender Lascelles said: “That’s all he wants to do – play for the team, play for the shirt, play for the club and play in front of these fans.
“All 11 of us are so passionate. You might see us arguing on the pitch and giving each other a bit of grief, but it’s because we’ve all got that winning mentality.
“After, when we get into the changing room, we shake hands and have a laugh about it.
“At the end of the day, it’s about getting the three points.”
The Toon's Greatest 100 Players. . .Ever! - £10.99
Available from Amazon and Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toons-Greatest-100-Players-Ever/dp/132629685X
Or contact: Kevnumad@fsmail.net for a signed copy.
This book is a collection of the 100 Greatest Newcastle United players of all time, as voted for by NewcastleUtd-Mad.co.uk readers and a panel of journalists who contribute to the website.
The players are in an order of five-per-chapter, counting down from 100 to Newcastle United's greatest ever player (as viewed by the author), but the whole point of the book is for You (the reader) to decide who goes where.
The list is not, by any means, definitive. As with all books of this nature, whether it be "Greatest Albums"; "Best Movies Of All Time"; or "Top 100 Pin-Ups Of The Year" . . . no two people have exactly the same opinion.
There will be controversy over who is on the list, and chances are, more controversy over who is not.
Here are the best of the best. I have painted the picture with each player's profile. Where they end up in the league of Nufc's Greatest is up to you.
Because You have the final word.
Newcastle United Fixtures
Saturday November 26
15:00 Championship Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers
Tuesday November 29
19:45 EFL Cup - Qtr Hull City v Newcastle United
Friday December 2
19:45 Championship N Forest v Newcastle United
Saturday December 10
15:00 Championship Newcastle United v Birmingham City
Wednesday December 14
19:45 Championship Wigan Athletic v Newcastle United
Saturday December 17
15:00 Championship Burton Albion v Newcastle United
Monday December 26
19:45 Championship Newcastle United v Sheff Wed
Friday December 30
19:45 Championship Newcastle United v N Forest