.... that was what spurred his team on to victory.
Southgate said there has been a hostile atmosphere between the two clubs because Boro persuaded Jonathan Woodgate and Robert Huth to turn down offers from the Magpies in the summer, and he himself refused a late bid for Mark Viduka on the final day of the transfer window.
Southgate: "There is more relief because there was more tension around the ground and it got through to us in the first half because so many of our lads have grown up in the area.
"We are almost seen as the underdogs here or perceived as being the smaller club. I think everybody went out there with a point to prove and I am delighted for us.
"The important thing for me was to get the back-to-back wins but the important thing for the fans is very different and I know how much it is going to mean to them.
"It was a fantastic delivery by Stewart but the only surprise was it was Yakubu on the end of it with his head. We have worked on it with him since the start of the year in the most basic of ways and it was nice to see some reward. Set-pieces so often change matches in these sorts of games."