Matthias Jaissle's team were well beaten at Leeds on Monday night and came up against a Tigers side who had made a strong start to life in the top flight following their promotion last term.
With Tino Livramento, Amar Dedić and Nico González joining a growing list of players unavailable to head coach Jaissle - William Osula, Joelinton, Anthony Elanga, Dan Burn and Ewen Jaouen also remained sidelined - midfielders Sean Steur and Joe Willock came into the team. United's bench, meanwhile, was occupied largely by teenagers and boasted just one outfield player who had started a league game for the club.
But goals from Willock and Lewis Hall proved decisive. Yoane Wissa saw a penalty superbly saved by Konstantinos Tzolakis in first-half stoppage time and Mohamed-Ali Cho set up a nervy finale with a smartly-taken strike in the second period, but Jaissle's men held on to give their head coach a first league win at St. James' Park and avoid an unwanted repeat of the 2-2 scoreline from the previous two matches against Liverpool and Bournemouth.
"It was an intense game, like expected," Jaissle said afterwards. "I am overall really proud to see the fighting spirit. Defending with the heart, with the commitment to win this game, was exceptional."
The Magpies came out of the traps quickly. Willock has made a bright start to the season and, after seeing an initial effort blocked by John Egan in the third minute, his third goal of the campaign arrived seconds later.
United kept play alive and Harvey Barnes picked out the former Arsenal man, who took a touch before finishing unerringly at the Leazes End.
Barnes was the provider again in the seventh minute, finding Hall after a great run. Hall drilled the ball across Tzolakis and into the bottom corner to put the Magpies in a strong position - the perfect way for the full-back to celebrate a new long-term contract with his boyhood club and his return to the England squad.
Lewis Miley made an important last-ditch intervention from Sorba Thomas midway through the first half and Thomas then conceded a penalty right at the end of the half as he made a grab at Jacob Murphy in the box, but Wissa's spot-kick was brilliantly kept out by Tzolakis.
There was still time for former Stoke man Thomas to flash wide in stoppage time. After the restart, in the 52nd minute, a Hall free kick was headed goalwards by Botman, but straight at Tzolakis, then at the other end Mohamed Belloumi should have done better when teed up nicely by Regan Slater.
Just before the hour, Belloumi was off target again. Barnes dragged a shot wide for Newcastle after making room in trademark fashion but in the 67th minute, substitute Cho netted soon after coming onto the field as he nipped in between the Magpies backline and found the net via a post.
The Tigers smelt blood and Lukáš Horníček did well to parry a Belloumi effort, then the Hull number ten had a shot deflected over. Wissa made a vital block from Oliver McBurnie before Tim Iroegbunam came within inches of an equaliser.
Barnes, at full stretch, was denied by the legs of Tzolakis but then Horníček used his own feet to keep out Robinio Vaz.
There were six minutes of added time, with Tzolakis upfield for some of them, but when former Sunderland loanee Joe Gelhardt shot wide, the points were finally secured for Newcastle United, who will be relieved to head into a long international break on the back of a positive result. Jaissle will hope that the Magpies' injury list is at least a little lighter by the time they return to action in mid-October.
"Overall, I would say a really positive feedback for that start," reflected the head coach, whose side have eight points from their opening five matches and have won twice in the Carabao Cup. "It was a huge transition in the summer period with all the challenges, with many players who left the club; many signings; really young players we signed.
"Considering all of these things, we can be really, really happy with that start - but also, the good part is we have now time to reflect where we can improve."
Newcastle United: Lukáš Horníček, Lewis Hall, Sven Botman, Yoane Wissa, Harvey Barnes, Malick Thiaw (c), Sean Steur (Fabian Schär 66), Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Bazoumana Touré 74), Jacob Murphy, Joe Willock (Aladji Bamba 87), Lewis Miley
Substitutes: Nick Pope, Kyran Thompson, Miodrag Pivaš, Vakhtang Salia, Mason Miley, Michael Mills
