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It has taken seven long years but once again Everton are back in pole position on Merseyside. David Moyes' players were clearly confident of that status on Friday when Fleetwood Mack's 'The Chain' - now synonymous with Formula 1 - reverberated around the corridors of Finch Farm.
Finishing above Liverpool may be considered folly by their local rivals, who will cite two cup finals and a trophy in the cabinet as a stronger case for domestic bragging rights, but the value of civic pride should not be dismissed.
And if the good times are set to continue at Goodison Park, Moyes' first order of business this summer must be securing Pienaar's services permanently after the returning South African not only broke the deadlock, with another curling effort, but also proved the catalyst throughout.
Granted, it required Mike Williamson's back to deflect it out of Tim Krul's reach, as it nestled into the top right-hand corner of the Park End net but the player affectionately referred to by the Goodison faithful as 'Peanut' has cracked the challenge of delivering upon his Merseyside return.
He should have added a second five minutes later after a Baines free kick was laid off at the far post by Osman to the lurking atacker but his effort drew a good save from Krul.
Pressure showed for both sides from the hostlity of the home crowd as Andre Marriner appeared to be have lost command amid a sea of ferocious exchanges while Yohan Cabaye's shoving of a nearby ball boy demonstrated the frustrations felt as Newcastle's Champions League fell short.
But it could have easily been so different had the ball bobbled into Tim Howard's net after Hatem Ben Arfa's free kick found Demba Ba before a deflection off Johnny Heitinga took it goal wards.
Newcastle never resembled top four chasers for the majority of the game as a long ball over the top allowed Nikica Jelavic to ponce and test Krul again, but the Dutchman had no response for the Croatian assailant, who lofted the ball home at the second time of asking.
Finishing the season with 11 goals from 16 appearances, the former Rangers hit man will relish the start of the new campaign more than most in Everton's squad after this monumental half-season.
In this rich vein of form, Jelavic may have tempted more than a few Evertonians to place an opportunist bet on him to finish as top scorer in this summer's European Championships.
Another player doing his chance of reaching Poland and the Ukraine no harm was Leighton Baines as the England international gave a typically solid performance upon his return to the side.
His link-up play with Pienaar flew in the face of suggestions that Everton have flourished during his absence, following last month's FA Cup semi final defeat to Liverpool, should offer Roy Hodgson food for thought in his selection process ahead of Wednesday's squad announcement.
Whatever Alan Pardew said to his players after the interval certainly had the desired effect as Papiss Cisse, who wasted a gilt-edged opportunity on the stroke of half time as he sliced a shot from close range after a neat interchange between James Perch and Ba, continually threatened.
A threaded Ben Arfa pass should have been finished better by a player who, along with Jelavic, has been hailed as one of the finest captures of the January transfer window.
But Everton would breach the Magpies' defence once more as Darron Gibson's free kick found Heitinga unmarked and the recently crowned Blues' player of the year duly powered home
A retort was forthcoming when Ryan Taylor's long ball should have left Tony Hibbert untroubled, only for the veteran defender inexplicably headed the ball over Howard to give Newcastle a consolation which, in truth, was long overdue.
As jubilation reigned in the stands following news of Liverpool's defeat at Swansea, which further cemented Everton's status as the city's senior domestic club, confusion and flared tempers went hand-in-hand as Cahill collared Cabaye just seconds before Marriner called time.
The mass brawl which ensued saw the Australian dismissed, which may be considered harsh given the timing, but this was a fitting end, all things considered, for another roller coaster season.
Moyes, however, is in no mood for celebrations with his adage that first is first, second is nowhere - a phrase repeatedly uttered across Stanley Park - ringing true despite Everton's turnaround.
DAVID MOYES: "I really just wanted to try and finish as high up the table as I possibly could. It didn't really bother me who you finish above, because I don't think you can really celebrate finishing seventh.
"The way I've been taught is you celebrate if you finish first. or maybe in the Premier League you celebrate if you finish in the Champions League [places] or even Europe. I think if we'd been seventh and got to Europe, I think that would've been worth shouting about.
"But, nevertheless, from where we were in October/November time, the people we've had to overtake to overtake to get where we are [and] the points we were behind, it's been a brilliant achievement by the players to come from so far away."
EVERTON (4-4-1-1): Howard; Hibbert, Heitinga (Distin 70), Jagielka, Baines; Osman, Neville (Cahill 74), Gibson, Pienaar; Fellaini; Jelavic (Stracqualursi 83)
Subs not used: Mucha, Gueye, Barkley, Coleman
Goals: Pienaar (16), Jelavic (27), Heitinga (65)
Booked: Heitinga, Baines
Sent off: Cahill
NEWCASTLE (4-4-2): Krul; Perch (Marveaux 46), Williamson, Coloccini, Santon (R Taylor 46); Cabaye, Tiote (Ameobi 82), Ben Arfa, Gutierrez; Ba, Cisse
Subs not used: Elliot, Gosling, Obertan, Ferguson
Goals: Hibbert OG (73)
Booked: Tiote, Cabaye
Referee: A Marriner (West Midlands)
Attendance: 39,517
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