Huddersfield Town 0-1 Newcastle United: Salomon Rondon moves Newcastle clear of bottom
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Salomon Rondon has netted four goals in his last six Premier League games - as many as he managed in his previous 24
Huddersfield manager David Wagner said his side "has to believe" after Newcastle inflicted a fourth successive Premier League defeat on the Terriers.
Against the run of play, Salomon Rondon struck the only goal on 55 minutes to send Newcastle six points clear of Wagner's side - and the relegation places.
Huddersfield, however, dominated the contest, and both Philip Billing and Chris Lowe spurned notable opportunities on a frustrating afternoon for the hosts.
Yet, despite the unrelenting pressure, Newcastle held firm to record a fourth win of the season.
"It is not easy to keep believing when you have so many defeats, so many narrow defeats where you think do we deserve it, but my part is to keep everyone's heads held high," said Wagner.
"We have to make sure our performances are the same level as they have been. At the moment we are playing very well, consistently, but don't have the right result. They had one chance and took it."
Huddersfield remain 18th and have now lost nine of their last 13 league games.
Magpies grind out crucial win
'Hard-working' players deserve all the credit - Benitez
Last weekend's agonising 95th-minute Wolves winner left Newcastle winless in three league games following their November revival, adding extra importance to a meeting with fellow strugglers Huddersfield.
The Magpies' vital winning run in November saw manager Rafael Benitez receive the Premier League manager of the month award earlier this week, but that defeat by Wolves prompted Benitez to label each of his side's upcoming games as akin to "a final".
Indeed, the Magpies players cancelled their Christmas party for a second successive year due to their league situation - which now looks substantially healthier.
Newcastle enjoyed just 26% possession at the Kirklees Stadium and spent the majority of the match firmly in their own half as Huddersfield looked much the more ambitious in approach.
When the visitors did venture forward in the first half, Jonas Lossl smothered Fabian Schar's close-range attempt.
The decisive strike came from another rare but slick move, as Ayoze Perez and Javier Manquillo combined on the right to set-up the in-form Rondon.
Despite more Huddersfield pressure, Newcastle remained defensively solid and stuck to their task to earn what often appeared an unlikely victory, and one which could prove huge in the context of their season.
"Against a team so close to us in the table, and to get three points, it was a good achievement," said Benitez.
"This group of players deserves credit and today they came together and worked hard. We gave the ball away a little bit in the first half, but in the second half we were better organised. The idea was to exploit them on the counter-attack and exploit the space behind them."
Defeat tough to take for Terriers
Wagner urges Huddersfield to 'keep believing'
The result, judged on the balance of play, was harsh on Huddersfield, but four straight league defeats have left David Wagner's side in a precarious league position going into the busy festive period.
The hosts' attitude and approach could not be faulted, and they looked the only side likely to find a breakthrough in a positive first-half display.
For all their good build-up play, though, the Premier League's lowest scorers once again lacked quality in the final third.
Alex Pritchard, Juninho Bacuna and Billing all offered energy around targetman Laurent Depoitre in attack, but the outcome summed up the Terriers' campaign to date.
The news playmaker Aaron Mooy will be out until the new year with injury is a huge blow to Huddersfield, who have now failed to score in 29 Premier League games since the start of last season.
"We played some good football today and in recent weeks as well," added Wagner.
"Today was different because we did not have clear-cut chances but how the players played and defended, their bravery and intensity to be on the front foot, was great."
Man of the match - Alex Pritchard (Huddersfield)
It was a positive performance from Huddersfield's Alex Pritchard, who carried the ball confidently and looked the most likely to create something for the home side with his runs at the Newcastle defence
Newcastle keeping things tight - the stats
Newcastle United's Premier League games have seen 36 goals scored this season, 14 for and 22 against, fewer than any other side.
Newcastle are unbeaten in four consecutive Premier League away games for the first time since November 2012.
Huddersfield have won just two of their last 14 games against Newcastle in all competitions, losing eight.
Since the start of last season, Huddersfield have failed to score in 29 Premier League games, eight more than any other side.
Huddersfield posted a 73.6% possession figure in this game, the highest of any side to lose a Premier League game this season.
What's next?
In another key weekend at the bottom, Huddersfield host Southampton on Saturday (15:00 GMT), while Newcastle face Fulham at the same time.