This article is part of Football FanCast's In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets... 

Andy Carroll made his first start since his return to Newcastle in the 2-0 victory over Sheffield United and there were several positives to take from his display.

While Joelinton has stuttered of late with no goals in 12 games it was still a surprise to see Bruce pick the England international, but it was the perfect occasion for him and just what was needed to battle against the Blades' three centre-halves.

In their last away fixture at Aston Villa the Brazilian's failure to hold the ball up effectively meant there was constant pressure from the home side, and it was little surprise that the Magpies eventually conceded.

This time it was different, and much of that is thanks to Carroll, who was able to have a significant influence in the opponent's half despite the visitors having just 26% possession.

He was once again ably assisted by Allan Saint-Maximin, who finally had a goal to show for his efforts.

As his stats indicate, 6 foot 4 Carroll was very hit and miss at Bramall Lane, but what he did do well was vital for Newcastle, as his awareness and intelligence allowed him to bring teammates into the game.

Despite the contrast in the share of possession Newcastle only had two fewer shots on target than the hosts, and without Joelinton they were able make better use of the ball and carve-out chances - with two pacy wingers playing off Carroll.

According to WhoScored, the striker won nine aerial duels and that allowed his team to move up the pitch and apply pressure on the Blades' backline, which ultimately paid off.

The perfect example of that was Carroll's flicked header which played through Jonjo Shelvey to score in back-to-back games and wrap up the three points for Steve Bruce's side.

With Southampton up next it is quite likely that the 30-year-old will start again, though his manager should be keen to ensure he works on his passing in training, as 44% pass accuracy is simply not good enough and too often it meant that attacking moves broke down when they shouldn't have.

If Carroll's performances were to drop Bruce could be tempted to seek an alternative option, as Allan Saint-Maximin has now proved he knows where the goal is.