Newcastle United usually had the edge over Leeds United when the two used to meet in the Premier League and that trend is continuing in the Championship. Replace Alan Shearer with Dwight Gayle and the story is repeated, Newcastle leaving West Yorkshire having managed to subdue their opponents and a rare sell-out crowd.

Gayle – who reportedly suffered damage to his mouth following a recent altercation in Liverpool – scored twice to extend Newcastle’s lead at the top of the Championship to five points and, in truth, it was a comfortable victory for Rafael Benítez’s side despite the game’s big billing beforehand.

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Leeds were not helped by a terrible error from their goalkeeper, Rob Green, to hand Newcastle the lead and they created few opportunities in front of Elland Road’s first capacity crowd in six years. Garry Monk spoke before the match about harnessing that support yet his side never provided fans with the chance to find their true voice, save for a wonderfully observed tribute to Gary Speed.

For Newcastle it was an eighth successive league victory, a run they have bettered only once, in 1992 when Kevin Keegan was manager. Benítez said: “I’m really pleased. Every game in the Championship is so difficult that you have to be sure that the approach is right.

“You have to give credit to our players. If we have the fans, the staff and players pushing all together in the same direction we will be stronger. We are strong now but there are still many games to play. We have to be sure that we don’t approach a game with overconfidence. If the team understands that, they will be stronger every week.”

On Gayle’s performance and reports that he lost some teeth in the recent altercation, the Spaniard said: “I knew what had gone on. It was almost nothing. I saw him but I didn’t realise [anything about teeth].”

Leeds started at a sluggish tempo and Newcastle, filled with a quality unusual for the Championship, had the edge on Monk’s team whose two key players this season had both been on international duty in the week leading up to this match.

The centre-half Pontus Jansson and the striker Chris Wood are crucial components in this Leeds side yet both lacked sharpness after playing for Sweden and New Zealand respectively.

In contrast Newcastle were full of energy and Yoan Gouffran in particular provided a dangerous threat early on. Gayle almost scored in the seventh minute with the Leeds defence asleep, when he slipped into the penalty area before firing straight at Green.

A bustling atmosphere fit for a Premier League game rose to a cacophony in the 11th minute when supporters of both sides stood to applaud their former player Gary Speed. The late midfielder’s parents walked on to the pitch before kick‑off and received a warming reception on a cold afternoon and, as Speed’s name rang out around this old stadium, the football became an irrelevance for a moment.

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It was the first time Leeds and Newcastle had met in the league for 13 years, during better times for both clubs. Much has changed since then but optimism has returned this season after recent adversity. Monk has guided Leeds to a position just below the play-offs after last season’s woes while Benítez’s side look well set to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

They took a deserved lead in the 23rd minute, although the goal came in circumstances that Green will want to forget. The goalkeeper has a reputation for producing the odd clanger and this was among his worst.

Jack Colback looped a high and timid ball forward from just inside the Leeds half but Green, underneath his own crossbar, palmed it straight to Gayle for a tap-in. It was the striker’s 12th goal of the campaign and none has been easier.

Newcastle controlled the flow until a late period of pressure from Leeds before half-time. The left-back Charlie Taylor was bundled over in the opposition area before a more concerted penalty appeal when Ronaldo Vieira crossed straight into an arm of Colback. Neither resulted in a sanction.

Eunan O’Kane produced Leeds’s first chance of the match shortly after half‑time, his low shot across goal well saved by Karl Darlow, but Newcastle soon increased their advantage. And while their first goal was certainly fortuitous, their second was a fine team move.

With Newcastle pushing Leeds back into their own penalty area Ayoze Pérez split the opposition defence with a precise pass that found the advancing Vurnon Anita. He demonstrated composure by sliding the ball across goal for Gayle, who had another tap-in.

Monk, who believed the “Colback handball incident”, as he put it, should have resulted in a penalty, said of Green’s error: “It’s a genuine, honest mistake. We did enough to score a goal today for sure. We’ve set high standards and high expectations. I don’t think we can be too critical or too disappointed.

“The fans were fantastic, we really wanted to give them something to go home with, so we’re a bit disappointed.”

Leeds United (4-4-1-1) Green; Ayling, Bartley, Jansson, Taylor; O’Kane, Vieira (Sacko 62), Doukara (Antonsson 78), Roofe; Phillips; Wood. Subs not used Silvestri, Cooper, Dallas, Grimes, Berardi. Yellow card Jansson.

Newcastle United (4-2-3-1) Darlow; Phillips, Clark, Lascelles, Anita; Colback (Hayden 83), Shelvey; Gouffran (Diame 76), Richie, Perez; Gayle (Mitrovic 79). Subs not used Mbemba, Yedlin, Sels, Atsu. Yellow card Colback.

Referee G Scott (Oxfordshire). Attendance 36,002.