Dwight Gayle's two goals took his total for the season to 13
Newcastle moved five points clear at the top of the Championship by beating Leeds at an emotional Elland Road.
Fans held a minute's applause on 11 minutes to mark next Sunday's fifth anniversary of the death of Gary Speed, who played for both clubs.
Dwight Gayle pounced on a Rob Green goalkeeping error to volley home.
Leeds rallied and saw Eunan O'Kane's shot well saved but Gayle's second, from a sharp team move, sealed Newcastle's eighth win in a row.
Defeat ends Leeds' three-game winning run and leaves them just outside the play-off places.
In front of a sell-out 36,000 Elland Road crowd, these two old heavyweights evoked memories of happier top tier times with a first league meeting since 2004.
The tribute to Speed brought the two teams together briefly before a match that Newcastle controlled for the most part.
Gayle's breakthrough goal came from a swinging Jack Colback cross-shot that Green failed to cope with, the first real opportunity of the game.
The goal ignited a response from Leeds as referee Graham Scott waved away Pontus Jansson's protests for a penalty at the end of the half, and they continued that momentum early in the second period with possession and some pressure.
Yet Newcastle snuffed out the home side's hopes of snatching a point or more when sharp passing sliced open Leeds' left and Gayle turned in Vurnon Anita's cross for a second.
Leeds United boss Garry Monk told BBC Radio Leeds:
"We fell the wrong side of the critical moments, they started well in the first 20 minutes but even then we defended well and we gave them goal but after that we reacted really well.
"It was a clear cut penalty, if that goes in and we get that decision it changes the dynamic of the game and through some of the chances we just needed a goal.
"We have to respect we're playing a good side, it's alright going gung ho but we have to be smart, I thought we got to grips with it and all in all we were competitive again."
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez told BBC Newcastle:
"I have to say thanks to every player, we could see a performance today against a good team we saw the effort, the mentality was good and the understanding of the game was very good.
"The atmosphere we were talking about as intimidating but we controlled ourselves. We knew what they could do but the players applied themselves and it's a credit to them.
"Everything we tried to do we did well, set-pieces, control of the game and counter-attack. There is room for improvement but I can't complain because we did very well."
- Published13 November 2016
