Last night, Newcastle United beat Preston North End at St. James’ Park to guarantee a place in the Premier League next season, returning to the top flight at the first time of asking with a 4-1 win.

And whilst the Magpies’ more attacking stars have inevitably grabbed the headlines, not least including brace-bagger Ayoze Perez and penalty converter Matt Ritchie, midfielder Isaac Hayden was equally as pivotal in getting his side over the finishing line in the race for promotion.

The former Arsenal youngster has been fantastic all season as the unsung presence in Newcastle’s midfield, so his under-the-radar role in last night’s match was particularly fitting of his status in this promotion-winning side.

Indeed, as our infographic shows, Hayden was nothing short of monstrous in the middle of the park, finishing the match with four tackles, two interceptions and five successful aerial duels to his name.

But the defender come midfielder made a difference in possession as well; he actually completed the most dribbles of any Newcastle player, produced three efforts at goal and finished the match with the best passing accuracy of any Newcastle starter.

There’s an ongoing debate over what quality Newcastle can bring in during the summer and although the 22-year-old is relatively unproven in the Premier League, his understated yet intrinsic influence on Newcastle’s results suggests he’ll be one of the first names on Rafa Benitez’s team-sheet next season.