The Magpies had to withstand a storm at St James’ Park before Hayden, who had started the game in midfield but ended it at right wing-back, struck four minutes into stoppage time to clinch a priceless 1-0 win in the Premier League.
Bruce said: “Smash and grab – is that the right headline?
The one thing that we’ve proven, especially here against the big teams, is that we’re difficult to beat and difficult to play against."