Newcastle United could only clinch a draw away against relegation-threatened Leeds United on Saturday afternoon, though now need to win just two of their remaining three Premier League matches this season to secure Champions League football next season.
In an enthralling and hectic encounter, Eddie Howe's outfit fell behind to Luke Ayling's strike in the early phases after questionable defending, before Patrick Bamford's tame penalty was parried by the impressive Nick Pope, a fateful miss that left Callum Wilson poised to collect two strikes of his own from the spot and give the away side the lead heading into the closing phase.
The Whites had fallen flat and looked destined for more misery, before Rasmus Kristensen fired a deflected effort from range to bypass the Magpies defence.
Wilson stole the headlines with his brace, but it was midfield machine Bruno Guimaraes who yet again kept a grip on the central battle; his unwavering robustness in the middle has indeed been the centrepiece of Howe's success with the St. James's Park side.
How did Bruno Guimaraes perform vs Leeds?
The 25-year-old has flourished since his £40m to the Premier League from Lyon, making 54 appearances and scoring nine goals and six assists, hailed as "world-class" by teammate Dan Burn for his resounding impact.
Indeed, Guimaraes is a truly excellent dynamic cog at the centre of the midfield, ranking among the top 17% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for rate of assists, the top 17% for progressive passes, the top 13% for successful take-ons and the top 20% for rate of tackles per 90, as per FBref.
Against Leeds, the ten-cap gem recorded a match rating of 7.1, as per Sofascore, and was in the thick of the action for the entirety, making 89 touches and completing 58 passes at a 79% completion rate.
Making one key pass and succeeding with four of his ten attempted passes, Guimaraes exhibited his creative edge while never shirking away from his defensive duties, unwavering in his work, making two clearances, three interceptions and winning seven of his nine contested duels, also a progressive presence in triumphing with four of his six dribbles.
BBC Sport journalist Raj Chomon was left waxing lyrical by the display, saying that the £120k-per-week monster's "vertical passing is insane" and hinting that the addition of a high-level conductor alongside him could ascend Newcastle to the level requisite for success of a different nature, laden in silver.
The Brazilian has been a steel-clad servant on Tyneside, and once again his 'world-class' impact on the pitch might just have secured a result which moves Newcastle a big step closer to achieving goals most would dared not dream only two years ago.