A month had passed since the catastrophe. Newcastle had effectively bottled the six matches of April, losing four and drawing twice. The result of that dismal run was a drop to sixteenth on the Premier League table. Around this time, the manager held a press conference regarding the ongoing mystery of Devin's absence.
"He's a young player with a lot of potential," the manager told the assembled media. "He picked up a slight injury, so I had him training for a while with another team to focus on his recovery."
"Which team?" a reporter shouted from the back.
"That's for only me and Devin to know," the manager replied, his tone final. "The pressure on him needs to be reduced by the time we face Leeds. Get ready."
Match Day: Newcastle United vs. Leeds United
Devin wasn't in the starting XI. Instead, Gordon took up his regular left-wing position, with Will Osula deployed as the attacking midfielder.
The match began with a frantic pace. In the 4th minute, Gudmundsson, a Leeds center-back, launched a sweeping cross field to Calvert-Lewin. The striker held up the ball for his partner, Lukas Nmecha, and they orchestrated a quick one-two move toward the face of the goal. Calvert-Lewin tried to curl a shot into the top corner, but it rattled the crossbar. The ball dropped perfectly for Anton Stach, who hammered a volley toward the goal, only for Dan Burn to produce a desperate block. The clearance fell straight to Ao Tanaka, who coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner. 1–0 to Leeds.
By the 25th minute, Newcastle's counter-attack looked promising, but Gordon was caught by the Leeds center-back, Jal-redon. He immediately transitioned play to Noah Okafor, a lightning-fast left winger, who squared it for Calvert-Lewin to tap home. 2–0.
The game changed in the 46th minute. The manager finally called upon Devin.
As he walked onto the pitch, Devin muttered to himself, "The ego these guys are putting out is crazy. I'm going to enjoy taking them down a peg."
The intensity shifted instantly. Tonali intercepted a stray pass and quickly pivoted to Guimaraes, who laid the ball off to Devin. He didn't waste a second, nutmegging Jayden Bogle before curling a strike from outside the box into the top corner. He sprinted to the corner flag and hit the "Siuu!" celebration.
In the 56th minute, Devin began to torment the defense. He pulled off a series of ultra-fast stepovers against Bogle, popped the ball over the defender's head, and controlled it on the drop. He feinted a crossing stance before slicing inside with a crisp Ronaldo-chop. When Stach lunged in, Devin pulled off a seamless roulette, backheeling the ball to Hall. Hall played it back to Devin, who delivered a beautiful Neymar-style roulette pass into the path of Wissa. Wissa chipped the onrushing keeper, leveling the game at 2–2.
At the 60th-minute mark, the coach signaled to Devin. "I loved the style," he shouted. "Keep playing your game!"
Devin and Elanga swapped flanks, keeping the pressure high. Gordon soon found space, and in a flash of brilliance, they combined with the kind of chemistry reminiscent of the Wirtz and Salah duo. Devin drove toward the edge of the box and buried a 180-degree curler to put Newcastle ahead. Again, he went to the corner flag, mocking the crowd with the "Siuu."
A few minutes later, Devin stood in the center circle and unleashed a massive "gyro-trivela"—a new pass he had been perfecting—finding Elanga on the right. The ball hung in the air, drifting wide, forcing Elanga to stretch his frame.
"Oh, so you want me to volley it? Fine!" Elanga yelled. He connected perfectly, smashing the ball into the roof of the net. The stadium erupted; the Newcastle fans were in total euphoria.
The final drama came late when Calvert-Lewin tried to bully his way to the goal, only for Devin to track back and execute a perfectly timed tackle on the edge of the box. He spotted the Leeds keeper, Lucas Perri, wandering off his line. Devin signaled to Gordon, played a sharp short pass, and took the return ball with a delicate chip. He volleyed the ball with such venom that the keeper barely saw it before it sailed over his head into the net.
As the final whistle blew, Devin stood near the touchline, soaking in the atmosphere. He performed Ronaldo's "calma" gesture, followed immediately by the "ice-cold" pose popularized by Cole Palmer. He caught the eyes of Jasmine, who was watching from the stands, clearly stunned by the comeback. He locked eyes with her and held a finger to his lips in a "shhh" gesture.
"Oh, c'mon!" she groaned, shaking her head from the stands.