Altidore has scored only twice in 31 appearances this season, and just once in the Premier League, while he spurned a glorious chance at St James' Park on Saturday when clean through on Tim Krul.
Gus Poyet: "Jozy had a magnificent game at the weekend. I was so sad that he didn't score that chance. They practically gave it to him.
"But I said to him in the dressing room, 'Now you know how important you are, and you can feel it'.
"If we keep winning, his goal is going to come. But his performance was one of the biggest and most important points for us.
"It's difficult, because I know strikers. I played with a lot of strikers who were top scorers, and when they didn't score for a while, they would not pass the ball to you - they would shoot from anywhere because they wanted to score.
"He is not doing that, which is great and a credit to him.
"Somehow, we need to try to get him a goal. Maybe we need to beat the keeper and give it to him to tap in."