It was important to get a win against Burnley for a few reasons; to banish the memory of Spurs' twin-equalisers, to carry momentum into a big week, and to climb the Premier League table.
Did Howe's much-changed eleven and squad, boosted by the first appearance from Yoane Wissa, do all of that? Maybe not quite, but they won the game.
From a sluggish start, through Bruno's Olimpico and Gordon's livewire performance, to Wissa's reception and the late drama, it was the least routine routine win.