The 26-year-old Senegal international has been a sensation since his January arrival on Tyneside with a return of 13 goals in just 14 appearances, helping the Magpies to an unexpected fifth-place Barclays Premier League finish.

Alan Pardew's men exceeded expectations so spectacularly that speculation is already mounting they may be vulnerable to bids for the likes of goalkeeper Tim Krul, midfielders Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote and strikers Cisse and compatriot Demba Ba from some of Europe's biggest clubs.

However, with Newcastle last week having firmly denied reports that the former Freiburg frontman had issued a "come and get me" plea to Primera Division winners Real Madrid, he has moved to reassure the club's fans.

Cisse told the Evening Chronicle: "I hope to continue scoring goals for Newcastle next season. I'm looking forward to playing in the Europa League.

"We wanted to play in the Champions League, but we can be very happy with what we have achieved this season."

The Magpies headed into the final day trip to Everton knowing victory could see them finish as high as third and book a Champions League adventure.

In the event, they lost 3-1, but with Arsenal and Tottenham both winning to claim third and fourth places respectively, it would have ended the campaign where it did regardless.

Cisse said: "It's good to be in Europe next season, but I'm sorry for the supporters. We wanted to give them Champions League football. That was our objective.

"We are in the Europa League and I thank God for the season I have had. But we are still a little disappointed."

Cahill was shown red after a violent tussle with Newcastle's French international midfielder Yohan Cabaye.

Footage showed Cahill grabbing the throat of his opponent before players from both teams came together in a heated exchange.

United's hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League were shattered as Everton signed off with a final-day win.

Newcastle could not have claimed a top-four finish even if they had won at Goodison Park, as both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur got the victories they needed to stay in Champions League spots.

But Alan Pardew's side were comprehensively outplayed anyway as goals from Steven Pienaar, Nikica Jelavic and Jonny Heitinga sealed the points for Everton.

A Tony Hibbert own goal in the closing stages was no consolation for Newcastle, which finished fifth and has the dubious reward of playing in the UEFA Europa League next season after an impressive campaign petered out with two successive defeats.

Everton's win means David Moyes' side earn the bragging rights on Merseyside as it finished in seventh position, one place ahead of arch rival Liverpool.

The Magpies went into the game looking to round off a hugely impressive campaign by securing a top-four finish, but after being undone by goals from Steven Pienaar, Nikica Jelavic and Johnny Heitinga they ended up staying fifth, outside the Champions League spots.

As it turned out, with fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and third-placed Arsenal both winning to hang on to their positions, even a victory would not have been enough for the Tyneside outfit and Pardew - who was named the top-flight's manager of the season on Friday - said after his team's loss: "I can't fault the players.

"They have been absolutely magnificent to a man. All my staff, everybody - we've had a real good go at it.

"You look at the quality of teams like Everton and Chelsea (who have finished seventh and sixth respectively) and you say 'how have we finished fifth'? It is amazing really.

"We are very pleased with that and we look forward to next year."

Pienaar opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a deflected effort and Everton went 2-0 up in the 27th when Jelavic finished smartly at the second attempt after goalkeeper Tim Krul had blocked his initial shot.

Heitinga then netted a 65th-minute header and although Tony Hibbert scored an own-goal eight minutes later, it proved little more than a consolation for Newcastle.

The Magpies confirmed 50-year-old Pardew had been honoured after steering the club into fifth place heading into the final game of the season and still in with a chance of Champions League qualification.

Pardew was appointed by owner Mike Ashley in December 2010 after the controversial dismissal of predecessor Chris Hughton, the man who had guided Newcastle back into the top flight at the first attempt.

Initially dismissed as just another member of the so-called 'Cockney Mafia', he has won over his doubters to preside over a remarkable campaign, which has included derby victory at Sunderland, a 3-0 defeat of Manchester United and a sensational 2-0 victory at Chelsea.

His astute dealings in the transfer market have brought the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse to the club and helped to produce a brand of football which has excited the Toon Army and ensured a return to European football next season.

Belgium defender Vincent Kompany was somewhat of a surprise winner after missing out on a place on the shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year prize last month.

Arsenal skipper Robin van Persie scooped the major individual honours awarded so far this campaign but Kompany's dominance in a City side on the verge of winning the EPL title was rewarded.

The Magpies head for Everton on Sunday (Monday 00:00 AEST) to bring down the curtain on what has been a remarkable campaign whatever happens during the final 90 minutes.

At worst, Pardew's men will finish fifth, ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool - and they could yet pip Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur to third and an automatic Champions League spot, and that would represent a massive bonus.

The manager said: "Absolutely, yes, that's the way we are approaching the game.

"This is where you want to be, the pinnacle of the game is the Champions League.

"To actually be competing for it is more than we imagined and to have that opportunity is something that doesn't come along very often, and we want to try to grasp it.

"It's been a magnificent achievement by everyone at this football club, and we can't wait for Sunday to unfold."

The basic equation is that the Magpies need to win at Goodison Park and hope that both the Gunners, who are two points better off, lose at West Bromwich Albion and Spurs, who have a point more, do not beat Fulham.

Newcastle's season has surprised most, and even Pardew admits its current standing is way in excess of his expectations.

He said: "I would be foolish if I sat here and said I thought we were going to finish fifth.

"The Board made a good statement - top 10 - I thought that was fair.

"In terms of what we had from last year and the new players and hopefully bringing it all together, we thought we would have a season where we would finish strongly and get a top 10 finish and then look to next year to perhaps do something like we have done this year.

"We are well ahead of schedule in terms of players getting used to the club, used to the pitch here, which is a difficult place to play, and therefore we have had a far better season than I could have imagined."

There have been many highlights for the Toon Army, including a 3-0 demolition of Manchester United on Tyneside and a glorious 2-0 victory at Chelsea secured by two stunning finishes from Papiss Demba Cisse.

However, it is a scruffy Shola Ameobi equaliser against derby rival Sunderland on Tyneside on March 4 which stands our for Pardew.

He said: "We have had some fantastic goals, but just for momentum and everything it meant, Shola's goal against Sunderland would probably be my favourite moment because it was such an important goal.

"We would have lost a lot of momentum if we had lost that game at home, and we deserved it.

"We deserved to win the game, so it would have really hurt us to have lost it, so that would probably be my highlight."

Success on the pitch has been matched by the club's performance off it, and the antipathy towards owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias has abated to a large extent.

Pardew said: "There is an understanding that there is a budget here and we have to try to excel within the budget, and we have managed to do that.

"We will still probably be on the same agenda next year. We have to be careful that if we lose a player, it's for a fee that is going to take us forward, and that we replace them with the quality that goes out of the building.

"That's something that myself, [chief scout] Graham Carr and my scouting team are on hand to do.

"But for Mike Ashley and Derek in particular, who runs the club, it has been a fantastic season, a season from which maybe fans can understand there is a game-plan here, there is a structure they can be proud of.

"I think they deserve a lot of credit."

Goods's representatives, Ritchie Hinton and Zeljko Susa of Melbourne-based Pitch Management, declared that such talk was "well wide of the mark".

"The club is going through a restructure of its development set up and Curtis is still very much in their thinking.

The 19-year-old is back in Australia after a 10-day trial with the Magpies.

The Newcastle Chronicle reported that a deal was very unlikely for the former Joeys skipper, who has a year to run on his Heart deal and a $400,000 price tag on his head.

"When the season finishes they will sit down over there and try and nut out a deal. He's back home now and that was always going to be the case," Hinton, who said.<

"There is a lot of good on both sides … the clubs are working together and we're optimistic a deal can be done.

"These things sometimes take time. It's certainly not dead in the water.

"The transfer window doesn't open until July 1.

"It's a credit to the player himself, the A-League, Melbourne Heart and Australia's development programs that he's come through and is knocking on the door of a big league."

A 2-0 home defeat by leaders Manchester City dealt a blow to the Magpies' hopes of Champions League qualification, but as things stand, they could end the campaign anywhere between sixth and third with one game still to play.

Whatever happens next weekend, when only victory at Everton will give Pardew's men any hope of a top-four finish, it has enjoyed a remarkable season having managed 12th place 12 months ago following its return to the top flight.

Even sixth place could hardly be regarded as anything other than a resounding success, but the manager will spend the summer attempting to ensure it is not a flash in the pan.

He said: "Our fans are realistic, they know we have come a long, long way this year. The task now is to stay there.

"The fabric of this club, the history, the tradition it has, it should be at the top of the Premier League every year.

"That's the job in hand for me now, to make sure these players come back and put in the same dedication they have this year because they have earned big reputations now and now they need to fulfil them.

"Our fans have been absolutely brilliant, make no mistake. There's no way we would be in this position if it wasn't for them.

"We would be seventh, eighth, maybe. They make a big, big difference.

"We need them back next year and we need to give them something to come back for."

A crowd of 52,389 packed into St James' Park to witness what they hoped would be the crowning glory in a season which has defied expectation from the off.

Ultimately, Newcastle was to succumb to two goals from Yaya Toure, whose promotion to an out-and-out attacking role with 28 minutes remaining was the turning point in an entertaining contest.

He finally beat Tim Krul from 25 yards with 20 minutes remaining and, with the Magpies going for broke as time ran down, cemented the win with a second a minute from time.

But on a day when the club unveiled a new statue of former manager Sir Bobby Robson, the home fans stayed behind to salute the efforts of Pardew and his players as they marked the end of its home campaign with a lap of appreciation.

Pardew said: "There's a lot of criticism about the Premier League, but I thought the conduct of the players on the pitch, the two staffs, was exemplary.

"They conducted themselves in a great manner, we applauded them off, quite rightly, and the whole day was a great advert for the Premier League.

"The best team won - and I don't like to say that because my team wasn't the best team - but I thought it was a good day."

If Pardew has been delighted with his players, they too recognise his input to what they hope will be a watershed season for the club.

French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, whose form in recent weeks has been a key factor in Newcastle's late surge, was quick to pay tribute to the 50-year-old.

He told NUFC TV: "He has lots of experience as a coach and he has brought that to Newcastle as a team.

"Where Newcastle are today is because of him, partly."

Ben Arfa was understandably disappointed with the result, but quickly turned his attention to next weekend's events at Goodison Park.

He said: "It's a disappointment. We could have drawn, we could even have won - but I hope to win the next match.

"It was an absolutely great atmosphere and it was a shame we couldn't win to share it with everybody."

Ben Arfa, of course, was used sparingly during the first half of the season after recovering from long-term injury - he suffered a double leg fracture in a challenge by City's Nigel de Jong in October 2010 - but has ended the campaign fit, in form and hoping for a call-up for France's Euro 2012 finals campaign.

He said: "I have got my fingers crossed that I will be playing for the French team."

Ben Arfa, 25, won the last of his eight caps in August 2010 before suffering a badly broken leg playing for the English side.

However, he has since returned to full fitness and has been outstanding in Newcastle's charge for UEFA Champions League qualification.

"I have not waited until his most recent performances to start following Hatem," Blanc told TF1's Telefoot programme.

"I can remember when he was recovering from his injury at (France's national training centre) Clairefontaine and nobody was thinking about Hatem Ben Arfa.

"We know he has great talent, this is not something that we have discovered in the last three games.

"It is very nice of his coach (Alan Pardew) to say that Laurent Blanc should take him to the Euros but he rarely picked him at the start of the season.

"He waited a long time before picking him, but now I would say he has become a contender again."

Blanc will name an initial list of foreign-based players selected for the squad in midweek, before announcing the domestic candidates on 15 May.

A final list of 23 players will then be named by the UEFA deadline of 29 May.

Another player trying to work his way back into Blanc's thoughts is Lyon playmaker Yoann Gourcuff.

He has had a wretched time with injuries this season, starting just seven league games, but Blanc admits a lack of alternatives in the final third of the field means the door is still open for Gourcuff.

"His season has been chaotic," Blanc said of the 25-year-old, who played under him at Bordeaux.

"He has a chance of going to the Euros because we realise that we don't have many certainties in the attacking domain, so that still leaves him with a little opportunity."

The Ivory Coast international struck twice in the final 20 minutes of a pulsating contest to secure three precious points and send City into Monday's (AEST) final-day clash with Queens Park Rangers in pole position to claim its first title in 44 years.

City's last triumph in 1968 came courtesy of a 4-3 win at St James's Park, and the weekend victory could prove almost as pivotal.

However, it remained in doubt right until the final stages as the Magpies fought to keep alive their dreams of UEFA Champions League qualification.

It was not until Toure blasted a 70th-minute shot past goalkeeper Tim Krul that City got its nose in front, and although both he and Sergio Aguero wasted further chances to cement the win, Toure made sure at the death with a simple tap-in.

Roberto Mancini's players celebrated just as lustily as their fans high in the stand behind Krul's goal after the final whistle with the promised land tantalisingly close.

City arrived knowing victory was a must if it is to pip arch-rival Manchester United to the title, while its host ran out having already exceeded its wildest expectations and enjoying the luxury of a shot to nothing with a Champions League place firmly in its sights.

With the vast majority of a raucous crowd of 52,389 behind them, the Magpies flew out of the blocks to pin the visitor back inside its own half, although without ever looking like troubling keeper Joe Hart.

But as the half wore on, City's class and guile saw them gradually ease into a position of dominance.

With Carlos Tevez and David Silva targeting right-back James Perch, playing in yet another role with Danny Simpson injured, they threatened to open the scoring on several occasions before the break.

That they did not was testament to Krul and the stubborn refusal of the men in front of him to concede.

Perch and Yohan Cabaye blocked shots from Samir Nasri and Toure in quick succession and Krul produced excellent saves to deny first Silva and then Aguero from close range inside the opening 17 minutes with Mancini's men flexing their muscles.

Newcastle was sinking ever deeper towards its own goalline in an effort to keep City at bay, but from somewhere, it found the strength to first stem the tide and then turn it in its direction.

Demba Ba, without a goal in 12 games, sent a 29th-minute shot on the turn just over after Hatem Ben Arfa's spring-heeled run down the right and then saw another snapshot blocked by Gael Clichy before Ben Arfa forced a superb diving save from Hart from the rebound.

Ba then headed over from Ben Arfa's 40th-minute cross after good work from Jonas Gutierrez with a breathless contest showing no sign of abating.

However, it took heroic blocks from first Fabricio Coloccini and then Davide Santon to keep out Gareth Barry four minutes before the break.

Krul's clean sheet was in peril once again within seven minutes of the restart when Perch tripped Tevez after the Argentine had wriggled away from him, but Toure's free-kick flew harmlessly over the bar.

Such was Newcastle's determination not to concede that winger Gutierrez turned up inside his own penalty area to head Silva's 53rd-minute cross clear and Krul had to make a smart save from Tevez's snapshot from distance.

But with the pace of Ben Arfa and Cisse worrying City on the break, Newcastle not only managed to keep it out but to press it back.

Mancini decided the time for change had arrived and with 62 minutes gone replaced Nasri with Nigel de Jong, the man whose tackle last season left Ben Arfa with a double leg fracture, a fact which had obviously not been forgotten by the home fans.

Ben Arfa almost provided the Dutchman with the perfect welcome within three minutes when, after being picked out by Ba, he twisted and turned his way in on goal, only to screw his right-foot shot wide.

De Jong's arrival allowed Toure to push further forward, and the move paid dividends with 20 minutes remaining.

Seconds after Edin Dzeko had replaced Tevez, Toure exchanged passes with Aguero 25 yards out and smashed a dipping right-foot shot past Krul and into the bottom corner.

It should have been all over within five minutes when Silva played in Aguero over the top, but with just Krul to beat, he side-footed wide.

Cisse might have claimed a point with a close-range header from substitute Shola Ameobi's 79th-minute cross, but for once, he failed to hit the target.

Toure should have made sure six minutes from time, but fell over as he attempted to round Krul, who managed to touch over Aguero's follow-up.

But the powerhouse midfielder wrapped up the points with a minute remaining when he accepted Clichy's pass six metres out and beat Krul to end Newcastle's hopes of a fightback.

Former players and staff members joined manager Alan Pardew, Sir Bobby's widow Lady Elsie and sons Andrew, Paul and Mark, for the ceremony this morning just hours before the club's crucial English Premier League clash with Manchester City.

The former England manager, who took the Magpies into the UEFA Champions League during his five-year spell at St James' Park, died in July 2009 at the age of 76 after a fifth battle with cancer.

Speaking at the unveiling, Lady Elsie, who was later presented with a bouquet by Pardew, told a crowd of several thousands Newcastle fans: "My husband often spoke of living a black-and-white life."

"It took him from the darkness of Langley Park Colliery to the bright glare of the floodlights. Black and white were the shades that always clung to him."

"When he left the north-east as a young man to pursue his football career, the north-east and Newcastle United never left him."

"It feels fitting that we should be standing on the hill that Bob used to walk up with his father and brothers on a Saturday afternoon to watch Albert Stubbins and his other boyhood heroes."

"It was here that Bob's great love affair with football began and he that he returned to proudly manage Newcastle. He helped them rebuild and eventually lifted them into Europe."

"He would be thrilled with the way Newcastle have performed this season, which is testament to the hard work and dedication of Alan Pardew, his staff and players."

"It was also Newcastle where Bobby built his final team, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, the charity he established to help people fighting with cancer, and that has now raised more than £4million."

"Even from the depths of darkness, brightness can emerge. I would like to thank Newcastle United for this magnificent tribute to my husband and for their ongoing support for his charity."

The club's managing director Derek Llambias paid tribute to Sir Booby and the part he played in bringing Newcastle back to prominence between 1999 and 2004.

He said: "There are only a handful of names in the history of Newcastle United that command the respect and recognition that Sir Bobby did."

"Throughout the world of football, he was respected for his achievements as a player and as a manager and is held in the highest regard by everybody associated with the game."

"But here in the north-east, he was a Geordie icon who helped change the history of this club."

"We are delighted to honour Sir Bobby Robson today. I'm sure you agree that this statue is a fitting tribute to a truly great man."

Former England internationals Paul Gascoigne and Peter Beardsley, as well as Gordon Milne and Charlie Woods, who worked with Sir Bobby during his spell on Tyneside, were in attendance, as was ex-Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn, a patron of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

But the occasion was particularly special for goalkeeper Steve Harper and central defender Nikos Dabizas, members of the squad which took the Magpies on to the highest European stage.

Harper said of sculptor Tom Maley's nine-and-a-half-foot bronze statue: "It's fantastic. It's very fitting that the sun is out and it is unveiled before what will hopefully be a fantastic game."

"It's a game he would have loved as a manager and as a fan, which ultimately he was, a huge fan of football as well."

"It's a fantastic statue. Credit to the artist, it really does sum up Sir Bobby at the start of what will hopefully be a fantastic day." Dabizas added: "I am thrilled. It is something that he really deserves, it is the least you can do for someone like Sir Bobby."

"People always remember him, not as a manager, but as a man. He was a great person."

The Senegal striker took his tally since joining the club to 13 in just 12 games with a stunning double in Newcastle's last start 2-0 English Premier League win at Chelsea.

His second strike was a truly memorable effort, a swerving half-volley from an outrageous angle that flew into the top corner.

Speaking at the BBC's Euro 2012 launch, Shearer said: "I don't think you can be anything but very impressed.

"Sometimes it takes time for a foreigner to settle, not only in the Premier League but up north.

"But the guy has just gone in and blown everyone away with his performances and goals.

"As a striker you are judged on goals, but even if you take his goals away his movement and hold-up play have been excellent.

"His first one was good last night but his second was just out of this world."

Cisse is fast becoming the latest in a long line of heroic Newcastle number nines, Shearer himself being one of them.

Shearer feels having such a reliable centre forward has enabled the Magpies to develop their tactical approach and sustain their challenge for a Champions League qualification spot.

Shearer, the club's record goalscorer with 206, said: "When you have got a guy in your team like that who can score spectacular goals it gives you a platform.

"You can set yourselves up as tough to beat because you can rely on one of the guys to stick one in at the other end.

"Particularly away from home - at home you have got the crowd pushing you forward, 52,000 screaming at you - you can keep it more defensive.

"They have done that because guys like that can grab you a goal."

Newcastle, fresh from a fine 2-0 victory at Chelsea on Wednesday, hosts leaders Manchester City this weekend. United clashes with mid-table Swansea.

Manchester United was eight points clear at the summit last month but City drew level on points after defeating Ferguson's side 1-0 on Monday. United now trails Roberto Mancini's City on goal difference with just two games remaining.

It is City's title to lose but Ferguson was boosted by Newcastle's victory at Stamford Bridge and believes Alan Pardew's side can surprise the leaders on the penultimate weekend of the league campaign.

"They [City] have got to win at Newcastle, that's the challenge for them," Ferguson told reporters in Manchester.

"Newcastle, as we know, is a very difficult place to go to and they're playing well. They lost incredibly to Wigan by four goals and then galvanised themselves to go and win 2-0 at Chelsea.

"As everyone knows, winning at Chelsea is a very difficult job. We haven't done it for 10 years so their form is good and it will not be an easy game."

Newcastle starts the weekend fifth in the table and just one point behind third-placed Arsenal and is well placed to qualify for next season's Champions League.

And Ferguson believes the incentive of securing a place at European football's top table could inspire the Magpies to stop City from winning.

"Newcastle are fighting for that position in the top four and they have a chance," he added.

"They are a point behind Arsenal and have the same number of points as Tottenham with two games left. It's an exciting end of the season for all the teams involved in that."

With the Newcastle game starting early, United will know exactly where it stands in the title race by the time it kicks off against Swansea.

City entertains relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers on the final day and a victory for Mancini's side over Newcastle should be enough to all but win the title.

Mancini claims United remain favourites, but Ferguson said: "What do you think? They've got two games left. If they win the two games they've won the league.

"Everyone will be watching it [Newcastle vs City] from a United perspective hoping it works for us, you cannot avoid it.

"But we've still got to prepare for our own game don't forget. We're not going to be neglecting that part."

Meanwhile, Ferguson has welcomed Roy Hodgson's appointment as England manager and believes the 64-year-old West Brom boss is ideal for the role.

"I've always said for that England manager's job you need to be in your 60s without doubt," he said.

"You need to be going into that job with all the experience behind you.

"I hope he does well."

The 26-year-old Senegal international took his tally for the Magpies to 13 in just 12 appearances with a match-winning double at Stamford Bridge, the second of them a truly memorable stoppage-time volley from an outrageous angle.

Cisse told the Shields Gazette: "It was a wonderful goal. It was the best goal of my career – I was so happy to score it.

"When the ball came to me, I was only thinking about scoring. It was an instinctive finish.

"I was also pleased with my first goal. It was important for the team. It was a good evening for me and the team.

"I came to the Premier League to show my quality, and everything is going well. I'm enjoying my football – everything is good on and off the pitch."

Cisse has enjoyed a remarkable introduction to English football and since opening his account with a debut-day winner against Aston Villa after coming on as a substitute on February 5, has never looked back.

His goals have helped to propel Newcastle into the thick of the race for Champions League qualification, although it remains in fifth place with just two games to go and victory for Chelsea over Bayern Munich in this season's final would mean only the top three will make it.

However, while there is still a chance, Cisse and his team-mates are planning to take the fight all the way to the wire as the side prepares for Sunday's visit of leaders Manchester City to Tyneside and the final day trip to Everton.

The former Freiburg striker said: "It's not going to be easy, but we have confidence, which is important. We believe in each other.

"We hope to play in the Champions League, and we will work hard to achieve that."

Cisse scored arguably the best double Stamford Bridge has ever witnessed in the Magpies' 2-0 victory at Chelsea, keeping it level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

It also moved it to within a point of Arsenal and all but ended its opponent's top-four hopes, with the Blues now four points adrift with just two matches to play.

Newcastle has not qualified for the Champions League since 2002 and few would have predicted it would do so at the start of this season but manager Pardew would now not be content with anything less.

"It's not often in a professional career that you get an opportunity to actually break into the top four in this country," he said.

"We've been in and around it all year, we've touched fourth placed and touched third a couple of times.

"We're going to give it everything.

"If we miss out, it'll still have been a phenomenal season and I'm looking forward to the highlights video because some of the goals have been unbelievable, they really have."

Cisse's first goal on Wednesday night was outstanding but football fans around the world will be watching his second for years, such was the jaw-dropping nature of the strike.

The 26-year-old's 25-yard banana volley with the outside of his right foot brought back memories of Roberto Carlos' free-kick for Brazil against France 15 years ago.

Pardew said: "An astonishing goal.

"Cisse took a chance. You could see he meant it and he's hit it absolutely true."

Senegal star Cisse told Sky Sports News in an interview translated by strike partner Demba Ba that he went for goal because he was so tired.

He said: "I just saw the ball coming back from Shola (Ameobi) and I just wanted to shoot as I had no power, so I just shot."

Pardew declared Cheik Tiote would be fit for Sunday's final home game with title-chasing Manchester City despite the midfielder suffering a sickening head injury.

He added: "A team challenging for the title, a team challenging for the Champions League.

"If someone had said that to us at the start of the season, we probably wouldn't have believed them."

If two of Newcastle, Tottenham and Arsenal win this weekend, Chelsea's top-four bid will be over, leaving it having to win this month's Champions League final to qualify for next year's competition.

Caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo refused to concede fourth place but there is now a very real prospect of the Blues failing to reach Europe's premier club competition for the first time since being bought by Roman Abramovich.

Di Matteo was confident his players would shake off Wednesday night's defeat in time for Saturday's FA Cup final.

"We're going to pick everybody up and get them going again and focused for Saturday," he said.

Cisse's sensational form since his January move to Newcastle United hit new heights at Stamford Bridge as he produced one of the best goals ever seen at the ground, leaving Alan Pardew's men in what looks a straight shootout between themselves, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal for third and fourth place.

The 26-year-old had already netted a stunning opener when he unleashed an outrageous 30-yard banana shot with the outside of his right foot that brought back memories of Roberto Carlos' free-kick for Brazil against France.

The goal was his 13th in 12 league appearances for Newcastle.

That came in 10 minutes of second-half stoppage-time added for a sickening head injury to Cheik Tiote, the only sour note on a night that left Newcastle four points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea with two games left to play.

The defeat was the first major setback for caretaker Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo in his bid to land the job full-time, with owner Roman Abramovich in attendance.

There is still plenty for Di Matteo to play for, starting with the FA Cup final, but the Italian's number one priority was qualifying for the UCL and the Blues now look like they will need to beat Bayern Munich in next month's final to do so.

Emmanuel Adebayor struck twice as Tottenham recovered some of its sparkle in a 4-1 win at Bolton Wanderers to maintain a hold on fourth spot.

In the week manager Harry Redknapp learned he would not succeed Fabio Capello as England manager, Spurs played more like the side it was before the speculation he would become national boss began.

Bolton's Nigel Reo-Coker cancelled out a stunning strike from Luka Modric at the Reebok Stadium but three goals in nine minutes from Spurs, one from Rafael van der Vaart and Adebayor's double, ended the contest.

The victory took Tottenham within two points of third-placed Arsenal but left Bolton in deep relegation trouble.

It was an emotional night for the host with Fabrice Muamba returning to the ground for the first time since suffering a cardiac arrest during the FA Cup tie between the same two teams in March.

The Trotters midfielder accepted a standing ovation from all sides of the ground as he was introduced on the pitch before kick-off but attention then shifted to Bolton's battle against the drop.

The home side's failure to make the most of a dominant spell after Reo-Coker's equaliser proved costly as it slipped to a defeat that leaves it in the bottom three.

The Chelsea striker capped a series of improved performances in recent weeks with a hat-trick in Sunday's 6-1 Barclays Premier League drubbing of QPR.

Pardew admitted he was delighted to see the Spaniard back to somewhere near his best, but he is keeping his fingers crossed that he suffers a relapse as Newcastle heads for Stamford Bridge.

He said: "Listen, great players very rarely are down for long. I am pleased for him personally.

"I have been to a few games where I have seen him suffer, and don't think as professionals you want to see that from a fellow professional.

"He looks like he's got a nice smile on his face - I just hope he isn't smiling on Wednesday."

Newcastle will run out having seen its four point lead over Chelsea in the race for the top four all but evaporate at the weekend as a result of its shock 4-0 reverse at Wigan.

Roberto di Matteo's men have been a revelation since the Italian replaced Andre Vila-Boas at the helm in March, with only one of their 16 games in all competitions ending in defeat, and that was narrowly to new Premier League leader Manchester City.

Pardew said: "They have been galvanised by the managerial change and the senior players kicking into gear and producing their best form at the right time.

"Over the years, they have managed to get themselves in and around trophies, and they have got a great opportunity of getting Champions League football and two trophies.

"Those players have a natural hunger no matter what they earn, and we are going to have to be on our guard because they are really in top form.

"One of the things he [Di Matteo] has done there - and that probably would have made sense after the last manager - is to keep everybody happy.

"That must start to get difficult now because he has to start to choose teams to play in cup finals, and that's the real test of a manager, just keeping everybody onside and everybody pulling together.

"I think Wednesday night will be a game where he will be looking to make sure everybody is happy, so in terms of the team, I wouldn't have a clue who he is going to pick."

Pardew will hope full-back Danny Simpson recovers from a knock to his ankle picked up at Wigan, but his squad has been boosted by the return of midfielders Gabriel Obertan and Sylvain Marveaux from injury.

VIDEO: Chelsea v Newcastle preview

The northern England outfit heads for Chelsea having slipped out of the top four as a result of its 4-0 drubbing at Wigan on Saturday, a result which allowed Tottenham to climb back above it on goal difference and the Blues to close the gap to a single point.

With three games left to play, Pardew's men could yet finish anywhere between third and sixth in the Barclays Premier League, and that means the prospect of Champions League football returning to St James' Park remains alive, if less likely than it was on Saturday morning.

In that respect, the side's next game could be regarded as a dress rehearsal for the type of fixture that might lie ahead.

Pardew said: "Absolutely, and that's how we should approach it. Our players, perhaps you could argue, might have had one eye on it, I don't know.

"But we certainly didn't turn up in the first half at Wigan, and I am pretty sure we will have a different mentality on Wednesday night.

"There's no expectation on us, but there is pride because we hurt our pride on Saturday and we are all hurting a little bit."

If Newcastle is to secure one of the top four places, it is going to have to do it the hard way with new leader Manchester City due on Tyneside on Sunday in the wake of last night's derby victory over Manchester United, and a trip to in-from Everton bringing down the curtain on a remarkable campaign.

Chelsea is unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions, including its two-legged Champions League semi-final triumph over Barcelona, City has lost just one of its past nine games and Everton's only defeat in eight came in the FA Cup semi-final at the hands of arch-rival Liverpool.

However, the reverse at the DW Stadium ended a run of six successive league victories for Newcastle, and while Pardew knows exactly how difficult the final three fixtures are going to be, he is determined his team will finish the season doing what it has done for much of it to date.

He said: "The last three games are going to be about our season in terms of making sure we finish strongly.

"I am not bothered if we lose all three, if I am honest, but the performances have to be right because we are playing three good teams and two away games in there.

"The performances need to be right. It wasn't on Saturday, and that's unlike us.

"But of the last seven games, we have won six, and that's what we have got to lean on.

"This team doesn't need to measure itself against anybody, we have proven that all year.

"But these are big games and we want to perform well in them for our fans. We want to give our fans an end to the season that makes them proud, because we have done absolutely brilliantly."

Pardew will go head-to-head with Roberto di Matteo, the man who in his role as caretaker boss has revived Chelsea's season in spectacular fashion.

The Italian, of course, also has the finals of both the FA Cup and Champions League on his mind, although he believes the decisions he has to make could be more difficult.

He said with a smile: "The one thing I do know is he has the luxury of picking from 22 internationals, and every one of them a good one, so it isn't that tough."

The Magpies are expected to launch a bid for Good after the young defender impressed in a 10-day trial.

Newcastle has told the A-League club via email that the teenager had performed well, Melbourne's Herald-Sun reported.

Good, 19, was outstanding in his debut A-League season where he made 25 appearances and Heart's resolve to keep him will be tested when the Magpies make a bid.

Good's trial was extended and he spent the last few days training with the senior side, under the guidance of manager Alan Pardew.

Newcastle's offer is likely to be a senior contract.

"Newcastle formally wrote to us and they were extremely positive about Curtis's time there and him as a person and that reflects well on the club and the A-League," Didulica reportedly said.

The nine-and-a-half-foot bronze sculpture will stand at the south-west corner of the stadium.

It will be unveiled before the Premier League clash with Manchester City on Sunday, May 6 with Sir Bobby's widow, Lady Elsie, and her family in attendance.

The Magpies climbed into fourth place in the Premier League as a result of their 3-0 victory over Stoke City last weekend, which was sandwiched in between Chelsea's 0-0 draw at Arsenal and a 1-0 defeat for Tottenham Hotspur at Queens Park Rangers.

Unlikely as it has seemed for much of a campaign which has seen the Tyneside club continually defy the odds, Pardew's men will head into their final four games knowing they have a very real chance of finishing in the top four and securing the riches that would bring.

He said: "We will keep our feet on the floor. We are not going to get carried away by it all.

"There's less pressure on us than the others for sure, and we will see if we can win at Wigan."

This weekend's trip to the DW Stadium will be the first of four intensely difficult encounters, with Roberto Martinez's side having already taken care of Manchester United and the Gunners to ease itself out of the thick of the fight for top-flight survival.

Should Newcastle secure a seventh successive league win there - and that would be an achievement in itself - it would then head for Chelsea on 2 May acutely aware that its destiny could be in its own hands if it could repeat the feat at Stamford Bridge.

By the same token, defeat in both would severely dent its hopes with fixtures against title-chasing Manchester City and Everton, which pulled off a stunning fightback to draw 4-4 at Manchester United, waiting in the wings.

That result at Old Trafford ensured the Magpies can finish no lower than sixth, something which would have been beyond their wildest dreams at the start of the campaign.

But having come so far, they have an opportunity to make an even bigger impact and are relishing it.

Pardew said: "It's amazing what you can do when you are all pulling in one direction.

"We are calm and we have got momentum, and there's a good feeling at the training ground. That makes us dangerous."

The prospect of European football returning to Tyneside is one which will bring fresh demands on a club which has become a model of good husbandry in recent seasons with owner Mike Ashley's controversial policies - or at least many of them - starting to bear fruit.

Just what that will mean in terms of both revenue and expenditure will not be clear until it is confirmed whether or not it is the Champions League or the UEFA Europa League which awaits, although Pardew insists it is prepared for all eventualities.

He said: "It's not a position I am unfamiliar with because sometimes safety in the Premier League gives you a different budget or promotion to the Premier League, like Reading have had, gives you a different budget.

"You just have to adapt and make sure you have got all the players you think you are going to need in line in case of whatever scenario comes your way."

Meanwhile, Newcastle's fine season has been recognised by the presence of skipper Fabricio Coloccini in the Professional Football Association's Premier League Team of the Year.

The 30-year-old Argentinian, who took over the armband from the departing Kevin Nolan during the northern summer, has once again played a key role for the club in the centre of a defence which lost Steven Taylor to long-term injury in December.

The France international scored twice and provided the glorious pass from which striker Papiss Cisse took his tally to 11 goals in 10 games in a stunning individual display.

His contribution helped to claim a sixth successive Premier League victory for the Magpies which leaves them four points clear of UEFA Champions League semi-finalist Chelsea with just four games to play.

The sides meet at Stamford Bridge on 2 May when victory for either could prove decisive.

Alan Pardew's men were simply too good for Stoke and having gone ahead through Cabaye's 14th-minute header, never looked back.

Cisse made it 2-0 with a cool finish four minutes later, but Cabaye's second, an inch-perfect curling shot 12 minutes after the restart, was the pick of the bunch on an afternoon when the bulk of a crowd of 52,162 headed for home dreaming of Europe.

Newcastle ran out knowing victory would take it into fourth place, for a few hours at least, but perhaps more importantly, give it a healthy advantage over sixth-placed Chelsea.

The return of Cheick Tiote provided added steel in the midfield, but what promised to be a battle developed into something of a stroll.

Stoke started brightly and it might have gone ahead with just 10 minutes gone.

England striker Peter Crouch, who had got little change out of his early duels with Mike Williamson, climbed high above the defender to head down Marc Wilson's long ball, but Jonathan Walters volleyed high over.

But the game changed within four minutes as Pardew's men flexed their muscles to go ahead.

More precisely, they showcased the individual talent of Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa who, having spent most of his time until that point wide on the right, turned up on the left to bamboozle Wilson and chip an inviting cross to the far post.

Cisse's eyes lit up as he powered a header back across goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and waited for the net to bulge, but his disappointment at seeing the ball come back off the crossbar was short-lived as Cabaye stopped to convert the rebound.

Roles were reversed four minutes later as Stoke was carved wide open by the brilliance of the former Lille midfielder.

Cabaye collected Jonas Gutierrez's pass in the middle of the field and, having spotted Cisse's run, slid an inch-perfect ball into his path for the Senegal international to dispatch it left-footed past the helpless Begovic.

The Frenchman's individual display was a joy to behold as he ran the game in front of the combative Tiote with Stoke threateningly sporadically from set-pieces, but without forcing keeper Tim Krul to make a save.

It seemed only a matter of time before Newcastle added to the lead, and it took a smart diving save by Begovic to deny fullback Davide Santon after he ran on to another Cabaye pass.

Pardew will no doubt have warned his troops to be prepared for a backlash in the wake of opposite number Tony Pulis' half-time team talk, but they might have extended their lead within seconds of the restart.

Ben Arfa slipped effortlessly past Matthew Etherington on the right before floating another teasing cross to the far post, where leading scorer Demba Ba, without a goal since 5 February, chose to chest it down rather than head directly at goal and saw Begovic make a vital block.

Ba and Cisse were proving too hot for Stoke to handle, and they combined to good effect once again with eight minutes of the half played for latter to find the back of the net from close range after Begovic had spilled the former's shot, although from an offside position.

But they had to wait just four minutes longer for the third goal to arrive when, after Ben Arfa and Ba had probed at the visitor's defence to little real effect, Cabaye took charge to curl an unstoppable shot across Begovic and into the bottom corner.

Pardew decided Cabaye's work was done four minutes later when he replaced him with James Perch to a standing ovation from an appreciative crowd.

The newcomer distinguished himself within seconds when he hurled himself into the path of Crouch's goal-bound shot.

Newcastle was in a rampant mood and Ba forced another save from Begovic before skipper Fabricio Coloccini headed wide.

Begovic had to pull off fine saves to deny Tiote twice within the final four minutes and spare his side further punishment.

Newcastle will secure a top-six Barclays Premier League finish and almost certainly earn a return to European football if it can better seventh-placed Everton's result this weekend.

But as it welcomes Stoke to Tyneside on Saturday a day before the Toffees head for title-chasing Manchester United, Pardew knows his fifth-placed side has punched above its weight all season and continues to do so, with a top-four finish a real possibility.

He said: "A successful season for us would be Europe, there's no doubt about that. Any European qualification would be brilliant.

"The Champions League is something that really we shouldn't be competing for, but we are, and we are going to go for that as best we can.

"We are batting well above our level in terms of the teams and the salaries and transfer fees that these other clubs have paid. We shouldn't even be anywhere near them."

Newcastle heads into the latest round of fixtures sitting level on points with Tottenham in fourth place and two better off than Champions League semi-finalist Chelsea.

Chelsea's 1-0 first-leg victory over the mighty Barcelona has left it with a foothold in the tie as it attempts to overturn the odds and reach the final - and if it was to lift the trophy and finish outside the top four, that would have major ramifications for the teams ahead of it.

In that scenario, only the top three places would yield either an automatic spot or a Champions League qualifier, with the prize for fourth a ticket for the Europa League.

Chelsea is already guaranteed at least a place in the lower-ranking competition because FA Cup final opponent Liverpool has already qualified by winning the Carling Cup - but should it win the domestic competition rather than the Champions League, and finish in the top five, that place would also be up for grabs.

Pardew admits the range of possible outcomes is somewhat bewildering.

He said with a smile: "What I do know is this European qualification is about as complicated as it gets.

"We need Carol Vorderman to work this one out."

Newcastle at least has momentum on its side having won each of its last five league games, and with in-form Wigan, Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton waiting in the wings, it knows extending that to six could be crucial to its hopes.

However, Pardew is confident his players will neither be carried away nor over-burdened by the challenge ahead of them.

He said: "Players, like fans, are not stupid, they know if they have got a chance. Our fans are sensing that we have got a chance, and so are our players.

"But we have still got to be able to produce it on game-day, and game-day is what it is all about at this level.

"You get complacent or get nervous or get edgy, like a couple of the other sides.

"They have got a bit edgy - we haven't shown any signs of that and hopefully we won't.

"Perhaps expectation is not really too great on us. If you asked any of these on-line betting agencies who is the least favourite, we are probably it, and that's probably right."

Pardew has been boosted too by the return of a series of players to training after injury, with Cheick Tiote, Danny Guthrie and James Perch all having shaken off knocks and been joined by longer-term absentees Gabriel Obertan, Leon Best and Sylvain Marveaux.

Goalkeeper Tim Krul did not train today after jarring his back earlier in the week, but he is expected to be available.

Newcastle is currently lying fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham with five games to go, and well in contention for a Champions League berth.

Although both Spurs and Manchester City have made their debut in the competition in recent years by breaking into the top four, it would be the biggest surprise yet if the Tyneside outfit – only promoted back to the English top flight just under two years ago – managed to return to Europe's top table.

It last featured in the Champions League when it was eliminated in the qualifying rounds in 2003 and Pulis, whose team plays at Newcastle on Saturday, would be delighted to see them rubbing shoulders with the continent's elite once again.

"I think it would be lovely for the Premier League to have someone new and fresh getting in there – although I'm sure the rest of the teams up there will have something to say about that as well," Pulis said.

"Alan [Pardew, Newcastle manager] has done a fantastic job but this is the business end of the season now when they have to push forward and push on.

"As with the top two teams [City and league leaders Manchester United], who have got the bit between their teeth – it is who gets their noses over the line first.

"It is great for us as a football nation if you get a team outside what is supposed to be the top six group getting into it and working hard to try to stay there."

Meanwhile, Pulis has confirmed Stoke is looking to reach agreement with defender Robert Huth over a new deal.

Huth, who is out of contract at the end of next season, has been linked with a move back to his native Germany this summer but Pulis is hopeful he can retain the 27-year-old's services.

"Huthy has a year left, so there is no immediate rush with him," Pulis said.

"But the club is keen to get something done and so is Robert. So fingers crossed something can be ironed out."

The Magpies could secure European football for next season with a victory over Stoke on Saturday and, in the process, strengthen its claims on Champions League qualification.

But amid speculation that a series of Barclays Premier League rivals are ready to test Newcastle's resolve to hang on to the likes of goalkeeper Tim Krul, midfielder Cheick Tiote and leading scorer Demba Ba, the club's fans will approach the latest transfer window with some trepidation.

Cisse, whose 10 goals in nine games since his January arrival from Freiburg have lit up Tyneside, admits he would be particularly disappointed to lose either Tiote or strike-partner Ba.

He told the Northern Echo: "Yes, I would be worried if they left because they have helped me a lot.

"It may affect me because of that but, at the end of the day, that's football and if a big opportunity came along for them to move, they can.

"But I would love for them to stay and play here longer because we are doing very well together.

"It's down to Newcastle, they will do the right thing. At the end of the day, I trust the club and they will do the right thing."

Newcastle, of course, famously took the controversial decision to accept Liverpool's astronomical £35 million ($54 million) offer for Andy Carroll in January last year, and while that was hugely unpopular at the time, it has gone from strength to strength in the meantime.

Indeed, it would be a huge disappointment if the club did not now claim at least a Europa League place, and the prospect of bringing European football back to St James' Park is one Cisse is relishing.

He said: "That's my objective – Europe. I like it. I sleep with it, I wake up with it every morning.

"I know it's tight at the top of the table, but I'm trying to do my best and hopefully, we will get there."

Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique, who both left Tyneside for Liverpool, were taunted by Magpies fans on their return last Sunday as their former club secured a 2-0 win which took them 11 points clear of the Reds in the Barclays Premier League table.

That gap became 13 points over the weekend after Kenny Dalglish's men only managed a home draw with Aston Villa while Newcastle won 2-0 at Swansea City.

Writing in his programme notes ahead of Monday's home clash with struggling Bolton Wanderers, Pardew said: "I took no satisfaction from seeing our former players Andy and Jose enduring a difficult day as they were fantastic for us during their time at this club.

"But maybe this season has changed a few perceptions and sent out a message to players tempted by offers to join so-called bigger clubs in the Premier League.

"Newcastle has proved time and again over the last few months that we can compete with big-name clubs like Liverpool, and maybe it will encourage players to think again if they dare to believe the grass is greener elsewhere."

The defeat, courtesy of another goal double from the Magpies' in-form Senegal striker Papiss Cisse, was Swansea's third in a row after reverses against Everton and Tottenham.

It means Swansea is now on its worst run of league form since the early days of Kenny Jackett's reign in 2004.

With an 11-point cushion over the drop zone ahead of this weekend's remaining fixtures, Swansea should retain its top-flight status for at least another season.

But Rodgers has always maintained it is important the club push on and finish as high as it can.

And he hopes to see an improvement in fortunes, starting with Wednesday's trip to relegation-threatened QPR.

He said: "We need to pick up some points and finish the season how it has been for us, this season was a real test of our talent, and we have passed that, it was also a test of our courage and mentality and we have passed that too.

"What we have to do is finish the season off and make sure it does not drift off or fizzle out.

"We have to continue to fight, we will always learn at this level that if you are a fraction out of position or misplace a pass you get punished.

"Until our safety is assured we will not think about it.

"Our performance against Newcastle was very good but not the result, and we now have a run of games that are against sides fighting for their lives, but we are fighting for every point too."

Rodgers also defended the decision to leave leading scorers Danny Graham and Scott Sinclair out of his starting line-up, even though the pair have scored 17 of Swansea's 35 league goals, in favour of Luke Moore and Nathan Dyer.

Rodgers had admitted he planned to rotate his squad over the Easter period, and says he would not have done anything differently.

"I felt a lot of goals had come from midfield and we needed a bit of freshness up front," he said. "To stay at this level we needed 25 players not 12 or 13.

"Scott and Danny had not had many chances in recent games and I felt that Luke, he likes to come and join in and I thought he did that well but we could not find the pass or the goal to open up the game."

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was understandably delighted with January signing Cisse, whose nine goals in eight games have triggered a run of four wins that has moved Newcastle firmly into contention for a Champions League spot.

But the former Charlton and West Ham boss was keen to praise the work-rate put in by the likes of Cisse, Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa in ensuring that Newcastle have the structure to go with their unquestionable attacking skills.

"That's why he (Cisse) was the best player on the pitch," he said.

"It was not just the goals but the work-rate he puts in, he has brought into our ethic.

"You don't always sign a big player who wants to take it on board but he and Yohan and Hatem have got that.

"They are a flair group that hopefully can get us the goals to get into Europe."

The Senegal striker, signed for £9.5 million ($14.6 million) from Freiburg in January, slotted low beyond Michel Vorm after just five minutes at the Liberty Stadium, before a brilliant chip sealed the victory with 21 minutes remaining.

The goals gave Cisse a brace in each of his last three appearances and he has now scored nine in his last eight games.

The victory was Newcastle's fourth win in a row, its best league run since April 2006, and moved the Magpies into fifth place in the Barclays Premier League table, just two points off Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, which sit in third and fourth respectively.

And having seen Cisse's clinical finishing prove the difference on a day when the Magpies were starved of possession for long periods by their hosts, Pardew heaped praise on his in-form frontman.

He said: "We have a guy in red-hot form in Cisse and that was the difference between the sides. We weren't brilliant today, we were a bit flat, but he was electric.

"But his form doesn't surprise us, we see him in training every day.

"You need a bit of luck when you come into the Premier League, but he got a great first goal that has set him on the road in terms of confidence.

"He had a fantastic record in the Bundesliga with a club that were struggling, so he is no mystery. He is a player with pedigree.

"When you play Swansea you won't get 20 chances as they keep the ball so well, so the strikers have to keep their focus.

"They may get just one chance and he was focused on those two chances and did not let us down.

"His second goal, it was like a Masters golf shot.

"I thought it had gone over in mid-air but it had that bit of backspin on it. It was a terrific finish."

The only downside for Pardew were injuries to midfield enforcer Cheick Tiote and playmaker Yohan Cabaye.

Tiote suffered a hamstring problem, while Cabaye, whose sublime passes teed up both of Cisse's goals, has what Pardew described as a "knock" and both are doubtful for Monday's meeting with Bolton Wanderers.

But Pardew feels, with confidence flooding through his side, there is the belief Newcastle can clinch one of those top-four spots.

He said: "We have won our last four and they have all been won in different ways. As a manager it is nice to have the option to have a different tactical plan and know we have the players who can see it through.

"I always said the last 10 games are the most important and if we were to get to the last six (and be in a good position) we would give it a go.

"We have now won four out of four to put us in a position that elevates us to better form than we expected, but there is a belief in the group."

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers admitted he was "stunned" by the result as his side were unable to capitalise on its complete dominance of possession.

Swansea enjoyed almost a 70 per cent share of the ball, but they could not take the chances that fell its way, despite the best efforts of Premier League player of the month Gylfi Sigurdsson, and was punished as it fell to a third-straight league defeat for the first time since 2004.

Rodgers said: "I'm a bit stunned to be honest. We made a good start with the ball and then it's a perfect start for them to get a goal so early.

"We were beaten by quality today in Cisse, and we can't be too disappointed because we were playing a team challenging for a Champions League place.

"To dominate the ball in a game like that means I am proud of the players.

"We had opportunities but we needed a bit of luck, we had over 20 efforts at goal, 13 on target.

"But we were undone early on and the second goal was likewise, we conceded possession on halfway and Cabaye has made two perfect dead-weight passes and Cisse produced two terrific finishes, in particular the second one."

Defender James Tavernier could be in contention after he was recalled from League 1 side MK Dons in a bid to bolster the defence in the absence of Fabricio Coloccini [hamstring] and Steven Taylor [Achilles].

Midfielder Danny Guthrie [calf] is a doubt, with Peter Lovenkrands [thigh], Leon Best, Sammy Ameobi [both knee] and Sylvain Marveaux [groin] still on the casualty list.

Provisional squad: Krul, Elliot, Harper, Simpson, Santon, R. Taylor, Ferguson, Perch, Williamson, Tiote, Cabaye, Obertan, Ben Arfa, Gutierrez, Abeid, Gosling, Ba, Cisse, Shola Ameobi, Tavernier, Vuckic.

Rodgers may choose to freshen up his side as it faces the first of three games in eight days, with winger Nathan Dyer and defender Steven Caulker in contention to return to the starting line-up.

Midfielder Kemy Agustien has already been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing ankle surgery.

Provisional squad: Vorm, Williams, Taylor, Caulker, Tate, Britton, Graham, Sinclair, Dyer, Routledge, Monk, McEachran, Lita, Moore, Bessone, Rangel, Situ, Allen, Tremmel, Gower, Richards, Sigurdsson, Obeng.

The Magpies are level on points with Chelsea in the Premier League, narrowly behind the Blues on goal difference, with a spot in the UEFA Europa League up for grabs.

Pardew praised the application of his players for the success of the club this season and admits he is firmly focused on bringing European football back to the north east ahead of Friday afternoon's (Saturday morning AEST) clash with Swansea City.

"We're a year ahead of schedule," Pardew said.

"I didn't expect us to be as close as we are to those (European) spots but we're going to take the chance in front of us if we can.

"That's football - it doesn't often put an opportunity in front of you and you've got to grasp it.

"I keep saying to the players that you've got an opportunity so grasp it with both hands and that's what we're going to do hopefully in the remaining games.

"We are ahead of schedule only because of the players and the application they've had. They're absolutely brilliant.

"They're a fantastic set of players and there's a fantastic camaraderie between them.

"We've given them a tactical base but we're not based around one system we've got two or three systems that we can turn to and the players bind to anything that we put in front of them which is fantastic.

"It doesn't happen often at a football club so I'm very privileged to be working for these players."

Unlike some managers who view the Europa League as an unwelcome addition to an already packed schedule - especially at the start of the season - the Newcastle boss is relishing the chance of stepping up to the challenge.

"The format (of the Europa League) actually works against Premier League teams because of the nature of our division," Pardew said.

"The intensity you have to have to play in a Premier League game, in some of the other leagues, the Europa League isn't so much of an issue as every game isn't as fully committed as ours.

"It's harder for the Premier League teams but that's not to say we wouldn't accept that challenge.

"We really hope for our fans more than anything that we get European football for them."

Pardew is looking for his side to extend its three-game winning run when it travels to the Liberty Stadium.

Newcastle has notched up wins over Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool in its last three league games, and the Magpies boss believes his side is still getting better.

"We've had our fair share (of plaudits)," he said.

"We're having a season that's outstanding and we're going to continue that if we can.

"I said all along that if we can get to this last period of games in the frame for Europe then we'll give it a go and that's what we're going to do.

"We've proven ourselves in our last three wins as we've won them all in different ways.

"In the first game we took the lead and really sat at home and dogged it out a bit. In the second game we opened up our wings and attacked West Brom on the break and could have scored four or five maybe, and against Liverpool we played a more complete game where we were a bit of each so we've shown those attributes.

"We're looking forward to Friday. Swansea play an open game, they look to stretch the pitch but they give you chances as well and we've got to try and take those."

Officers were contacted when Newcastle's James Perch was targeted after a clash with Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina ended with the Spaniard receiving a red card during his side's 2-0 loss.

A Twitter user, believed to be a 17-year-old Liverpool fan who works at a supermarket, tweeted: "I want to punch perch in his n***** head!"

The tweet ended by calling the Newcastle defender a c***.

Other Twitter users immediately rounded on the abuser, telling him police would be informed and reminding the writer about what happened to student Liam Stacey, who was jailed for abusing Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba.

Stacey, 21, was jailed for 56 days after he admitted inciting racial hatred over remarks about the midfielder, who at the time was critically ill following his collapse during an FA Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur.

A call about the abuse Perch received was made to Northumbria Police but because the complainant was from County Durham, officers from that force will take up the issue.

A Durham Police spokesman said: "Northumbria Police contacted us yesterday afternoon after a member of the public complained about allegedly racist comments posted on Twitter.

"As the complainant lives in County Durham the matter was referred to Durham Constabulary and an appointment has been made for an officer to visit them and take further details."

Last month a student who abused football pundit Stan Collymore was ordered to carry out 240 hours unpaid work.

Joshua Cryer, 21, from Jesmond, Newcastle, had set out to provoke a reaction from the former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker and used a racial insult, Newcastle Magistrates heard.

Goalkeeper Jose Reina was sent off nine minutes from time for head-butting defender James Perch, and £35 million ($53.71 million) striker Andy Carroll, who endured a miserable return to his former club, headed straight down the tunnel having aimed a volley of abuse at his manager when he was replaced two minutes earlier.

Reina will miss the FA Cup semi-final against Everton as a result of his misdemeanour, and his side now finds itself 11 points adrift of Newcastle and a point behind Merseyside rival Everton in the race for sixth place in the Premier League.

Dalglish said: "We started well enough. We passed and moved and looked pretty threatening, but obviously, it ended up with a lot of frustration and disappointment.

"The frustration and disappointment resulted in the actions Pepe (Reina) took when he got a deserved red card.

"Also when Andy came off and went up the tunnel, he was disappointed with the way the game was going, not necessarily for himself, but for the team, and the frustration took him up into the dressing room.

"We don't have a problem with people showing their desperation or disappointment or frustration, but we need to channel it better than we have done."

Papiss Cisse's double won an incident-packed game as Carroll's return to Tyneside turned into a nightmare.

He was booked for diving early on and headed over from close range, and his side might have been awarded a 16th-minute penalty for handball after fullback Danny Simpson bundled the ball off the line.

However, by the time Carroll left the pitch, to his clear annoyance and cat-calls from the home fans with 11 minutes remaining, his side was heading for defeat.

Cisse opened the scoring with 19 minutes gone when he headed home Hatem Ben Arfa's superb cross, and he doubled the dose 14 minutes after the restart with a cool close-range finish.

If the game was not beyond Liverpool at that point, it certainly was with 81 minutes gone when Reina was sent off for an ugly clash with Perch, and with all his substitutions used, Dalglish had to ask former Magpie Jose Enrique to don the gloves.

The Scot said: "Maybe if we shout up louder, we might get some refereeing decisions.

"But we will try to remain calm and try to sort out the problems we have to get ourselves back into the way we want to be playing."

For opposite number Alan Pardew, it was a day to relish as Cisse, the man he bought for less than a third of what the club raked in for Carroll, took his tally to seven goals in as many games.

Pardew said with a smile: "His English isn't great - I think he's only had one lesson since he's been here.

"We had Africa Day at the training ground on Friday with the food, that probably helped him.

"He had some curried goat and maybe that was why he was fuelled up today."

Asked about the vastly differing fortunes of Cisse and Carroll, Pardew said: "I felt for Andy today, I did.

"He's a terrific lad and he's having a tough year. But he will come back.

"On our side of the coin, Cisse was terrific, and long may that continue."

Victory put the Magpies level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea, but Pardew was still refusing to contemplate a late charge towards the top four.

He said: "If someone said, 'You are going to be in the Europa League', I would snap their hands off."

The Senegal international's 19th-minute header set the Magpies on their way to a victory which leaves them in pole position to claim a top-six Premier League finish, and his second with 59 minutes gone sealed it.

But on a black day for the visitor, goalkeeper Pepe Reina was sent off nine minutes from time for head-butting defender James Perch, indicating as he belatedly left the pitch that he would resume their discussion after the final whistle.

Cisse has now scored seven goals in as many games, one fewer than Carroll had managed in 48 appearances for the Merseyside club.

The Gateshead-born frontman's unhappy return ended with 11 minutes left when he was substituted after he had been serenaded with a resounding chorus of 'what a waste of money', while fellow old boy Jose Enrique, who had earlier been taunted over his claims that Newcastle would never again challenge for the top six, spent the final few minutes in goal with manager Kenny Dalglish having used all his substitutes.

But it was all smiles for the locals among a sell-out crowd of 52,363 as Alan Pardew celebrated a repeat of his first game in charge with another win over Liverpool.

The game was billed as a significant showdown in the race for sixth place with Newcastle enjoying an eight-point advantage over the big-spending rival ahead of kick-off.

It was also a homecoming for Carroll and Enrique, both of whom were treated to a hostile reception by fans who mourned their respective departures, but have since found life without them more than bearable.

Carroll's opening 45 minutes did not go as he would have liked as he became involved in a series of physical tussles after being booked for a blatant ninth-minute dive in an attempt to win a penalty.

His fortunes did not improve when he was presented with his first real chance with 28 minutes.

Another former Magpie, Craig Bellamy, caused problems for makeshift left-back Jonas Gutierrez throughout, and although Mike Williamson managed to get to his cross first, the ball looped up nicely for the striker to get to it before keeper Tim Krul, only for him to loop his header over.

By that point, his side was already trailing as a patched-up Newcastle team defended deep and in numbers, but hit the visitor repeatedly on the break.

Krul had tipped a Bellamy cross on to the bar and fullback Danny Simpson bundled the ball off the line after the Dutchman had spilled Steven Gerrard's cross.

But when the home side broke, it did so at pace, and to great effect after 19 minutes.

Hatem Ben Arfa skipped away from Jay Spearing and then Jonjo Shelvey to send the perfect cross to the far post for Cisse to rise and head past Reina.

For all the Reds continued to enjoy more than their fair share of possession, Newcastle created as many openings, and it might have extended the lead 11 minutes before the break when Demba Ba's long-range shot clipped defender Martin Skrtel and wrong-footed Reina, only to drop just wide.

But Cisse should really have made it 2-0 with four minutes of the half remaining when Danny Guthrie crossed from the right and he sent a downward header past Reina, but wide of the post.

The woodwork came to Liverpool's rescue within three minutes of the restart when Williamson climbed highest to head Guthrie's cross against the foot of the post.

But as the half wore on, it was Liverpool which started to gain the upper hand with its host's carelessness in possession hurting it.

Bellamy only just failed to reach Gerrard's inviting 56th-minute cross and Shelvey drilled the ball straight at Krul.

But when the game's second goal arrived, it did so at the other end, and it was Cisse who again did the damage.

Ba stabbed the ball across goal where Ben Arfa helped it on to Cisse, and he calmly stepped inside Reina before firing home.

Luis Suarez might have reduced the deficit within three minutes but his effort was blocked by Perch.

Dalglish's men continued to fight for salvation as the clock ran down, but their efforts grew increasingly laboured.

Carroll was withdrawn to a chorus of boos and went straight down the tunnel, and Liverpool's hopes were finally dashed when Reina senselessly headbutted Perch nine minutes from time and was sent off.

The 50-year-old launched his Magpies career with a 3-1 victory over the Reds in December 2010, but has spent much of his time in the game tasting the highs and lows of football against the Anfield club.

His curriculum vitae boasts a famous FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool as a Crystal Palace player, but also a heartbreaking final defeat in the same competition as West Ham manager, and he is expecting another classic this weekend as the two clubs battle for a top-six Premier League finish.

Pardew said: "Liverpool brings out no middle ground for me.

"I have been beaten by them 9-0; I won a semi-final when they probably had the strongest team they have ever had and we should never have won; I was winning with 90 minutes on the clock in the FA Cup final and I was denied, and we should have won in extra-time, so that was another massive low.

"Then obviously, my first game here was a massive win, very, very important for my tenure and everything else that has gone on since.

"There is no middle ground, so expect fireworks either really negatively or really positively."

Remarkably, Newcastle is currently eight points better off than the Carling Cup winner as it jealously defends the sixth place it hope it can retain or better over the remaining eight games of the campaign.

A win or a draw this weekend would leave it in pole position to see off Liverpool's challenge.

However, Pardew knows even then, it would have a long way to go before the two clubs could be compared side by side.

He said: "They are a club steeped in a tradition of winning trophies, and they have won another one this year.

"We haven't got that tradition, unfortunately, and we need to try to gain it.

"But we have had a great season in the Premier League and we are trying to continue that on Sunday against what is a very talented team."

The game will see former Magpies boss Kenny Dalglish bring his £35million signing Andy Carroll back to the club were he made his name with a question mark still hanging over that purchase.

Pardew, of course, never wanted to sell the Gateshead-born powerhouse, but in Demba Ba and the in-form Papiss Cisse, he has found replacements at a fraction of that price.

He said: "It's very difficult sometimes to justify money that you have invested. They have got very, very good young players and they are finding their way.

"[Jordan] Henderson, Carroll and [Stewart] Downing are having their first season, and some take longer than others.

"We have been blessed with the fact that ours settled very quickly and gelled very quickly - Demba Ba, [Yohan] Cabaye, Cisse has come in and got five goals - sometimes it can go like that."

The club's record signing has faced his former club twice since leaving in January last year but both have been at Anfield and both ended in comfortable victories.

However, coming up against the Magpies in the north east at a ground where Carroll very quickly established himself as a hero to thousands of Geordies is a different prospect.

On Liverpool's last visit there in December 2010 Carroll was an influential figure in the host's 3-1 win, scoring once himself.

And since the clubs' last meeting at Anfield three months ago the balance of power has swung heavily in favour of Alan Pardew's side with Liverpool eight points adrift of sixth-placed Newcastle after a run of five defeats in six English Premier League matches.

Northern summer signing Jose Enrique also returns to his former club for the first time but the focus will undoubtedly firmly be on Carroll and Dalglish, himself an ex-Newcastle manager, fully understands any pre-match anxiety for the striker.

"It's not a bad thing, is it? If you weren't nervous you'd have a bit of a problem," said the Scot.

"In my case it was always best to be nervous rather than totally laid back.

"I don't think anyone can be laid back when they go and play at the club that gave him his opportunity in football and turned him into a professional footballer.

"For him and Jose it will be an exciting time to go back."

Dalglish spent 20 months in charge of Newcastle between 1997 and 1998 and was full of praise for the job Pardew has done in keeping the club as high as it is in the table after critics suggested its early season good form would taper off.

"It's not the first old club I've been back to and every club I've been at I've enjoyed. It was no different there," he added.

"I enjoyed the people I worked with, the people I worked for, and they've got fantastic supporters.

"They get right behind their side, it's a fantastic place to go and play football and it's a great city that should be proud of its football club.

"This year Alan Pardew has done a fantastic job getting to where they are in the league and I'm looking forward to going back."

Dalglish will be desperate to arrest the club's recent run of results which has seen all hopes of a top four finish disappear this month.

Just two league wins in 2012 tells its own story and although the club has already won the Carling Cup and has an FA Cup semi-final in just over a fortnight they cannot afford to allow its league results to slide any further with Sunderland, Everton, Swansea and Norwich all within three points.

"We want to compete equally in every competition we're in," said Dalglish.

"We've done tremendously well in the cups and we've got to recreate it in the league.

"It's not been that way this season. There have been a lot of fantastic performances but we've not got the results.

"We just need to get our league results in better order and it'll be a happier story."

Dalglish is hopeful his team's injury issues will have eased by the weekend but admits it will be a further fortnight before the full extent of Charlie Adam's knee problem is known.

The Scotland midfielder missed the defeat at home to Wigan along with forward Craig Bellamy (calf), midfielder Maxi Rodriguez (illness) and defenders Glen Johnson (calf), Daniel Agger (rib) and Martin Kelly (ankle).

While some of those are edging closer to a return Adam will have to wait for another assessment.

"Charlie's another two weeks and then we'll find out a proper diagnosis without people speculating what's wrong," said the Reds boss.

"Rather than be inaccurate or incorrect or someone making up a story we will wait and see in a couple of weeks how long he's going to be out."

Pardew has been forced to make do and mend in recent weeks with winger Jonas Gutierrez lining up at left-back in the 1-0 Premier League win over Norwich City last weekend, a game in which Yohan Cabaye played in four different positions and fullback James Perch started in midfield.

It was Perch who was asked to fill in at left-back for the 3-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion, although he ended the game at centre-half after Fabricio Coloccini's premature departure with a hamstring injury, and seems likely to have to play there again this weekend when Liverpool heads for Tyneside in what could be a crunch clash in the race for a top six finish.

Many of the changes have been forced on the manager, but some of them have been tactical, and he is delighted to have that flexibility within what is a relatively small squad.

He said: "You have to remember that when you have had success, teams are going to come and nullify you and start working on ways to beat you, and you have got to keep asking different questions.

"Yohan Cabaye and Jonas had different roles last week, and they could have different roles again.

"But their application and attitude to them has been first-class, and that's why Jonas at left-back got man of the match against Norwich, because he attacked the job that was at hand.

"If my players do that and take that as a lesson, then we are going to be okay."

The Magpies were more than okay at the Hawthorns as they produced their best 45 minutes of football for some time to blow the Baggies away before the break.

Hatem Ben Arfa's brilliance, the finishing prowess of Papiss Cisse and the way in which the pair combined with the Senegal international's strike-partner Demba Ba was simply too much for West Brom and allowed Newcastle to strengthen its grip on sixth place.

It will head into the Liverpool game eight points better off than the visitor, its closest pursuer, and with eight games to play, knowing it is in the driving seat.

However, a still taxing run-in, which will also see title hopeful Manchester City visit St James' Park, while Pardew's side has to go to Swansea City, Chelsea and Everton, means it can take nothing for granted.

The fact that the influential Coloccini could miss up to half of those games is a major concern, although midfielder Cheick Tiote's impending return from a hamstring injury will provide a boost.

Tiote missed the victories over Norwich and West Brom, but saw Danny Guthrie deputise well once again, and while Pardew will be delighted to have the Cote d'Ivoire international back, he is equally pleased that his side has shown it can cope without one of its key players.

He said: "We have won without Cheick for the last two weekends, and we won without him when he was away at the African Nations Cup.

"Actually, since he has come back, we haven't had great results with Cheick.

"I am not saying that as a negative because he is a massive player for us, but we can cope without him."

Goals from Papiss Cisse (2) and Hatem Ben Arfa enabled the Magpies to move level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League before Shane Long's second-half consolation effort.

But Pardew believes Newcastle is not well enough equipped to overhaul one of the top four.

Pardew said: "Are we Champions League contenders? I don't think so. The last 10 games are the most important ones in any season and we've won the first two of those.

"There are a lot of games left, a lot of points. But I don't think we've got the depth of squad to challenge for that (a Champions League place).

"I get told the fans might be thinking 'this is on' - but not me."

Ben Arfa, who set up Cisse's two goals, was the official man of the match and Pardew believes he is a reformed character worth a place in the France squad.

He said: "There are not many players who can do what he can do and it might be a nice wild card for France to have him in the squad.

"He really has knuckled down and there is a much more controlled person in his manner and the way he is around the training ground.

"I can say that publicly so it registers with the French manager.

"In the past in France there was some reputation that he was an 'enfant terrible' but not here.

"He has been immaculate and especially this season he has really kind of focused and got his mind set in a good place."

Pardew confirmed Newcastle skipper Fabricio Coloccini will miss next weekend's clash against Liverpool with a hamstring injury.

But Albion head coach Roy Hodgson could be without midfielder James Morrison for a much longer period after he limped out of the action with a knee ligament injury.

Albion had to finish the game with 10 men as it had already used its three substitutes.

Hodgson said: "It's knee ligament damage. He will have the scan tomorrow and we will see what brings.

"The initial prognosis from the medical team is not good. We have to see what ligaments in the knee have been affected."

Hodgson insists his stance has not changed regarding the England job after his remarks in a radio interview prompted headlines on Sunday morning.

He has been the subject of speculation linking him as one of the candidates to replace Fabio Capello.

Hodgson said: "I can give you verbatim what I said. The radio guy said to me 'if you were offered the England job, would you take it?'

My direct answer was: 'It would seem to me as an Englishman, you would need a very good reason to turn it down.' That's what I said.

"What I've said all along is that the FA are going through the process and I just happen to be one of the people caught up in the speculation about what they are going to do.

"I find myself having to answer questions which really and truly don't have anything to do with the job you are doing at this moment in time.

"My stance hasn't changed at all. It is an important job, I wish the FA every success with their appointment."

Ben Arfa scored one and set up two more goals for Papiss Cisse during an opening 45 minutes dominated by Alan Pardew's side.

Albion could only manage a solitary second-half reply from substitute Shane Long as Newcastle moved level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea and gained revenge for the 3-2 home defeat to Albion earlier in the season.

The Magpies have also opened up an eight-point gap over seventh-placed Liverpool, but suffered a worrying moment 10 minutes from time when Cisse was carried off on a stretcher with an apparent leg injury.

Newcastle dominated the first half and gave the home side a lesson in expert counter-attacking and clinical finishing.

Ben Arfa caused constant problems with his runs and probing passes, while Cisse has now netted five times in six games for his new club.

Albion seldom fired on all cylinders and looked like a side already virtually assured of Premier League survival.

It improved after the break but has collected just one point from the last three games.

Newcastle was soon into its stride and Demba Ba forced Baggies goalkeeper Ben Foster to turn his downward volley over the bar before Cisse put it ahead after six minutes.

Ben Arfa supplied the telling low ball across the six-yard box and Cisse was left with a simple task to sidefoot home.

Newcastle was seeing plenty of the ball and Ben Arfa doubled the lead after 12 minutes in a lightning counter-attack.

Cisse supplied the telling pass but Ben Arfa still had plenty of work to do as he cut in from the left and beat the dive of Foster with a fierce drive into the far corner.

Albion tried to retaliate and James Morrison drilled a half volley wide after being teed up by Keith Andrews.

Marc-Antoine Fortune threatened for the first time when he met a cross from Liam Ridgewell but his header was a couple of yards wide of the mark.

Peter Odemwingie had the ball in the net after 32 minutes but Fortune had strayed marginally offside.

Then two minutes later Cisse struck again after another swift counter-attack by the visitor.

Demba Ba backheeled the ball into the path of the overlapping Ben Arfa and his cross picked out Cisse, who made no mistake with a left-footed finish.

Albion needed to strike quickly to have any hope of rescuing the game and Morrison sliced his shot wide when well placed after Youssouf Mulumbu had created the opening.

Michael Williamson then deflected a fierce drive from Mulumbu over his own crossbar before Cisse was denied his hat-trick by the alert Foster after Yohan Cabaye's deflected pass had sent him clear of the Baggies

After 52 minutes a mix-up between Williamson and goalkeeper Tim Krul allowed Long to nip in and turn the ball into an empty net.

Foster then produced an excellent save to turn aside a low shot from Ben Arfa after a powerful run before Williamson became the first player to be booked after an aerial challenge on Long.

Albion was looking more dangerous and Ridgewell sliced a shot wide when well placed.

The home side, having already used its three substitutes, ended the game with 10 men when Morrison hobbled off after a challenge with Demba Ba with 10 minutes remaining.

The Magpies have never relinquished their place at the upper end of the Premier League table after a blistering opening to the campaign, and head for West Bromwich Albion this weekend still sitting in sixth place and just two points adrift of Chelsea in fifth.

Pardew has been in the game long enough to know that all that could dissolve if Newcastle does not maintain the standards it has set itself over the remaining nine games of a season which has unfolded in delightfully unexpected fashion for the Tyneside club.

However, he is confident that it is capable of putting together another sequence of results to ensure all the hard work does not go to waste.

Pardew said: "We are pretty much focussed on the nine games which remain.

"It's a quarter of the season and we need to finish as well as we have done in the first three quarters, because we have been excellent.

"The players' attitude and application has been first class and if we can do that for nine more games, we might surprise ourselves."

Was Newcastle to win at the Hawthorns - and in the process, avenge its 3-2 home defeat by the Baggies in December - it would reach the 50-point mark with eight games left to play.

To put that into context, it managed just 46 in the whole of its first season back in the top flight, and has not amassed a half-century in the Premier League since the 2005-2006 season, when then manager Glenn Roeder guided it into the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup.

Pardew said: "It would be a hell of an achievement - but I still think it's a long call that because winning at West Brom, when you look at their home record, is going to be tough.

"But we are capable of it and we are going to try to do that."

The Baggies have proved something of a thorn in Newcastle's side in recent seasons with both league games ending as draws as they came up together from the Championship in 2009-2010, and Albion recovering from a 3-0 deficit on Tyneside in the final game of last season to emerge with a point and deny the Magpies a top-10 finish.

Pardew said: "[Manager] Roy [Hodgson] has said they have got a bit of an Indian sign over us, but we will still go into the game in a positive frame of mind, as all my teams do, and we will try to win the game."

Midfielder Cheick Tiote is rated at 50-50 as he attempts to recover from a hamstring injury, while fullback Danny Simpson has a chance of returning from the adductor strain which kept him out of last weekend's 1-0 home win over Norwich City.

It remains to be seen whether or not Pardew pairs leading scorer Demba Ba and January signing Papiss Cisse in attack once again with the latter having scored his third goal in four home games against the Canaries, but yet to open his account on the road.

Ba has 16 goals for the season to date, although the last of them came in his first game back from a disastrous African Cup of Nations campaign with Senegal, a 2-1 win over Aston Villa on 5 February, five matches ago.

However, Pardew has no fears over his northern summer bargain acquisition.

He said: "If he showed any signs of lacking confidence, I would be concerned, but I don't see that in Demba.

"Especially in training, he just focuses his mind more to improve himself, so I have no worries on that front."

The pair are Senegal internationals, but had played little football together until Cisse arrived on Tyneside in January.

However, his third goal in four home games was enough to condemn Norwich City to a 1-0 defeat as the growing understanding between the two frontmen began to pay dividends.

Pardew said: "They were a little bit closer together, and that worked better for us.

"If you are going to play two out-and-out strikers like they are, you have got to ask them to work, and they really put in a shift because that extra midfield player Norwich had started to get a grip at times.

"If you can manage to contain it and be able to deal with it, then you have got two goalscorers on the pitch, and that might have been the difference today."

The game was settled by Cisse's instinctive 11th-minute strike as he got ahead of Zak Whitbread to turn home Jonas Gutierrez's left-wing cross.

However, he was denied a first-half hat-trick by keeper John Ruddy, who also kept Ba at bay with a fine reaction save to ensure the Canaries remained in the game until the death.

Indeed, Tim Krul had to save from Anthony Pilkington and Whitbread after the break, and the Dutchman was relieved to see Steve Morison scuff an injury-time shot straight at him as the home side held out.

Cisse's contribution proved decisive, and Pardew is convinced there is much more to come from his big-money signing.

He said: "I thought he had his best game for us, not just the fact that he threatened the goal, but his link-up play, his work-rate was right up there with the best in this division.

"I am really pleased he got the goal, and perhaps should have had two. In training, he bangs three or four goals in in quick succession, and it surprised me that he missed them, actually."

While disappointed at the result, Norwich manager Paul Lambert saw enough to suggest his side will put in a strong finish to its first season back in the top flight to secure another.

He said: "On that performance, I am pretty sure we will. They don't need me to stand in there and tell them they were unlucky.

"That performance will give everybody a big lift.

"I thought we were excellent against Manchester United and lost as well, but in the last couple of weeks, that's been as good as anything that we have played.

"I always think we can score at any time and on another day, we might have got one."

January signing Papiss Cisse clinched the points with a superb 11th-minute strike to edge out Norwich city, which more than made a game of it on a day when the Magpies were not at their best as injuries took their toll.

Victory left Newcastle five points clear of seventh-placed Liverpool and just two shy of Chelsea in fifth, although both now have a game in hand after their involvement in the FA Cup.

Pardew said: "[Owner] Mike Ashley said to me after the Sunderland game that it was fantastic theatre and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Well, there wasn't much theatre today, but what there was was a real professionalism on the pitch.

"If I had come here as a coach or a manager watching that game, you would have to say both teams put in a full stint and stopped the other playing a little bit.

"The flair players maybe could have offered a little bit more 'je ne sais quoi' today, but my goodness, it was a real battle, and it's always nice to win a battle."

A game in which the visitor gave as good as it got for long periods was ultimately settled by Cisse's strike, his third in four home outings for the club.

But on another day, he might have claimed the match ball by half-time after twice being denied by goalkeeper John Ruddy, who also produced a fine save to prevent Demba Ba from adding to his 16 goals for the season to date.

However, Norwich, whose neat inter-play left the Magpies chasing shadows at times, created more than enough opportunities to capitalise on the Magpies' profligacy, although could not take any of them.

That was in part due to the efforts of Tim Krul, who pulled off good saves to keep out Anthony Pilkington and Zak Whitbread in quick succession after the break.

Steve Morison might have snatched a point at the death, but mis-hit his shot straight at the Dutchman as Newcastle held out to keep its unlikely charge for Europe on track.

Pardew said: "It's the last 10 games and we have won the 10th game, you could say, so it makes the task do-able.

"Perhaps if we had lost today, winning five from nine wouldn't have been do-able because we are not firing on all cylinders.

"I can say that and I know that. When I look at my team, I know we are not balanced, we are not at our best.

"If you can win when you are not at your best, it's a great ingredient to have."

Norwich manager Paul Lambert left Tyneside feeling he and his players should be doing so with something to show for their efforts, but far from deflated.

He said: "I think our play merited something. I am disappointed to lose, like anybody, but I am not disappointed with the way we played.

"We came here and took the game to them against a team that is playing very well themselves.

"I am disappointed to lose, but performance-wise, it was very good."

Asked if he is confident the Canaries will accumulate the remaining points they need to secure a second season in the top flight, Lambert said: "I always am, always am. We have got a very good lead and we will be fine.

"I have got a good group of lads and I trust them. I have said we will win more games than not. I have got great trust in them. The way they are playing the game, I have got no fears."

Cisse's 11th-minute strike, his third goal in four home outings, was enough to see off Norwich in a contest which remained in the balance until the final whistle.

However, on another day he might have left with the match ball after passing up a series of glorious chances to add to his tally.

That he did not was in part down to the resilience of Canaries goalkeeper John Ruddy, who produced a string of fine saves to keep the Magpies at bay and his side in with a fighting chance.

Opposite number Tim Krul also had to be at his best to deny Anthony Pilkington and Zak Whitbread in quick succession with the visitor threatening to snatch a point in front of a tense crowd of 47,833.

Newcastle ran out knowing a return of just two points from the last 12 on offer had to increase markedly if it was to maintain its challenge for European football, and with manager Alan Pardew having set it a target of five wins from its final 10 games to keep itself in with a chance.

It was well on the way to securing the first of those victories when the half-time whistle sounded, but it might have been out of sight.

January signing Cisse produced a finish in keeping with the near-£10 million ($15.85 million) fee the Magpies paid for him with 11 minutes gone when he got ahead of defender Whitehead to drill Jonas Gutierrez's cross instinctively past the helpless Ruddy.

But had he been as lethal with the other chances which came his way during a lively opening 45 minutes, the points could have been banked long before the end of the game.

There were less than two minutes on the clock when Yohan Cabaye played the Senegal international in for the first time, and his cheeky lob was only just plucked out of the air by the advancing Ruddy.

Kyle Naughton made a vital block to prevent Cisse's 39th-minute volley from ending up in the back of the net, but he should have doubled his tally two minutes later when he ran on to Gutierrez's sumptuous pass, but could not beat the keeper one on one.

In the meantime, Ruddy had pulled off a fine reaction save to claw away Demba Ba's effort as it threatened to creep inside his far post, and Elliott Bennett have survived appeals for a penalty after Danny Guthrie's cross hit his hand.

However, the Magpies, who started with Gutierrez at left-back and James Perch protecting the back four in the absence of Davide Santon and Cheick Tiote, did not have things all their own way.

The Canaries, as they have done for much of the first campaign back in the top flight to date, moved the ball confidently and created three chances of note of their own.

Jonny Howson only just failed to capitalise on Mike Williamson's 19th-minute error before Pilkington drilled a long-range effort into Krul's midriff.

But they could have gone in level had Andrew Surman hit the target rather than firing wildly across the face of goal in the final minute of the half.

Hatem Ben Arfa might have eased Newcastle further clear within seconds of the restart when he ran on to Whitbread's weak clearing header, but although he made good progress into the penalty area, he screwed his right-foot shot harmlessly wide.

Cisse tested Ruddy once again, this time from distance, after running on to Ba's 50th-minute lay-off, and the keeper needed two attempts to claim his shot.

But Norwich was in no mood to lie down and accept its fate, and the home side needed Krul to preserve its lead twice within seconds.

The Netherlands international first blocked Pilkington's shot at his near post and then tipped Whitbread's header over with the visitor pushing hard for an equaliser.

Ba fired wide from distance as Newcastle responded, but with frustration mounting on the terraces, Pardew replaced Ben Arfa with Santon, in the process freeing up Gutierrez to return to his accustomed midfield role.

Newcastle managed to exert a measure of control as the clock ran down with the physical presence of substitute Shola Ameobi helping to relieve some of the pressure, although Steve Morison might have levelled at the death, but scuffed his shot straight at Krul under pressure from Fabricio Coloccini.

A simmering row between the two Dutchmen boiled over during the closing stages of the Magpies' 2-1 Premier League defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night after Thomas Vermaelen snatched victory for the Gunners in the fifth minute of injury time.

Gutierrez told the Journal: "I think Van Persie was wrong. There was no need for him to do that - they have won the game, it is finished.

"I can't understand a person like that. I think it is not right. When you feel like that, it is because you are not a good person.

"I don't care about the football, I'm talking about the person. When you have people who do that, it's not right.

"We are all used to getting kicks, it's a sport of contact. But when you have things like that, it is not right. It is not easy to accept.

"He was the only Arsenal player who reacted like that. The others were saying to him, 'Calm down, calm down'. When you do that, the fans go crazy as well, so it's no good for the atmosphere of the sport.

"It didn't help the game - both sets of fans are having a good evening, they're enjoying the game.

"He made a big mistake. I say well done to Tim for staying calm. In a second, you can lose your mind, but we have to stay focused.

"I was pleased with Tim. You have to think of the next game and the rest of the season at that moment. It is no good to have a reaction and get a three-game ban or something like that."

Van Persie, who had earlier cancelled out Hatem Ben Arfa's opener with his 33rd goal of the season, clashed with goalkeeper Krul on several occasions as the home fans jeered him for what they believed was time-wasting with Newcastle looking likely to emerge from the game with a hard-earned point.

However, the feud escalated after Vermaelen's late strike as players from both sides became involved in an angry confrontation which delayed the restart.

The 25-year-old Frenchman briefly gave Alan Pardew's side hope of a second successive victory at Arsenal with a 14th-minute opener, only to see Robin van Persie cancel out his strike within seconds to set the stage for Thomas Vermaelen's injury-time winner.

Ben Arfa, who had been handed a rare start at Emirates Stadium, was as devastated as the rest of his team-mates to see a hard-earned point snatched from their grasp.

However, he is now looking forward to another chance to prove his worth in this weekend's home clash with Norwich City and the final nine Premier League games which will follow it.

Ben Arfa told the club's official website, www.nufc.co.uk: "We are very disappointed because we thought we had the draw, but in the last minute they scored.

"Everyone in the dressing room was disappointed, and it is always worse to lose in the last minute like we did.

"It was a good goal from me, but we lost, so it doesn't mean anything. I am very disappointed and in the next game, we have to win.

"We have to keep our heads up and look at what is in front of us. This game has gone now and we have to learn from it and move on.

"We have 10 games left now and we have to be prepared to achieve something at the end of the season."

Ben Arfa will hope he gets the opportunity to prove on a sustained basis that he is more than a luxury player after a fine second-half display as a substitute in the 1-1 derby draw with Sunderland and his early strike in north London.

He said: "I was very happy to start and I am very happy to be on the pitch.

"I hope to do much more for the team when I am on the pitch. I am doing everything I can.

"I want to start games - every player wants that. Now I start it is good, I hope I keep going to play more and more for the team between now and the end of the season."

The Gunners looked set to blow their chance to move within one point of bitter rival Tottenham Hotspur when it wasted a number of chances to seal the win in the second half after Robin van Persie had equalised Hatem Ben Arfa's opener.

Van Persie, Tomas Rosicky and Gervinho were all guilty of wasting gilt-edged opportunities in the second half, but Thomas Vermaelen saved the home side's blushes by turning home Theo Walcott's cross in the 95th minute to seal a vital win.

It was the fourth Premier League game that Arsenal has come from behind to win, and the third time in the last few weeks that the Gunners have snatched victory in injury-time.

"It was an exceptional night because the pleasure is even more intense when you win in the final minute of the game when you have given everything," Arsenal manager Wenger said.

"We won in the last minute at Sunderland, Liverpool and now Newcastle. That shows we have absolute commitment.

"They are refusing to lose. That's fantastic.

"That shows that we have quality and spirit. It was a relentless effort tonight from the first to the last minute.

"The tempo was top level. We kept going until the last second and we managed to win the game.

"The fact that we did it before shows that we have a complete and total commitment to do everything we can and give absolutely everything."

Arsenal threw everything at the visitor in the second half and looked like having to settle for a draw until Vermaelen struck.

Rosicky and Walcott, who picked up the man-of-the-match award, performed well for the host, which is now one point behind Spurs.

Walcott thinks Arsenal's north London rival will be running scared of Wenger's team after this result.

"Tottenham have got to be watching over their shoulders now," Walcott told Sky Sports.

"With the squad of players we've got - and we've got a lot of players coming back to fitness now - we believe that we can go much further.

"It's been an up-and-down season, but it's the way you finish, and that's the most important thing."

Ben Arfa stunned the home crowd by putting Newcastle ahead in the 15th minute with a precise finish before Van Persie turned home Walcott's cross just 55 seconds later to equalise.

Newcastle was booed for time-wasting throughout - something which Van Persie appeared to taunt Tim Krul about after Arsenal had snatched the win.

The pair, international team-mates with the Netherlands, were both booked after squaring up to each other and Krul had to be restrained after the final whistle.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said: "I don't really know what went on.

"When you get a last-minute goal things spill over and it all got a little bit silly."

Pardew, whose team has now failed to win its last four games, lamented his players' decision to go on the attack in injury-time, a move which left the Magpies open at the back for Vermaelen's dramatic winner.

"We are very disappointed because we had the ball in their corner in the 94th minute," he said.

"We had a few problems towards the end of the game - Cheick Tiote had cramp, Danny (Simpson) had an injury, and in the end he couldn't get back to end to stop the goal.

"When the board went up saying there were five extra minutes, I could see our weary bodies and I knew it was going to be a long five minutes.

"I thought we had just done enough but we hadn't."

Both clubs were charged with a 'failure to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour'.

The charge stemmed from a first-half melee which followed a foul by Sunderland winger James McClean on United fullback Danny Simpson.

Both clubs have requested personal hearings to discuss the incident further.

Sunderland playmaker Stephane Sessegnon was later sent off for throwing an arm towards Newcastle's Cheick Tiote while Black Cats skipper Lee Cattermole was dismissed after the final whistle for using foul and abusive language towards referee Mike Dean.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew also attracted criticism for his touchline behaviour in a game which finished 1-1.

The Gunners went behind to a precise finish from Hatem Ben Arfa in the first half but they were level 55 seconds later when Robin van Persie held off Mike Williamson's challenge to slot home Theo Walcott's cross.

Van Persie, Tomas Rosicky and Gervinho were all guilty of wasting good chances in the second half and the game looked beyond Arsenal, but Vermaelen popped up in the 95th minute to rifle home Walcott's cross from close range to snatch all three points.

The last-gasp win, Arsenal's fifth on the bounce, means the 10-point gap that once separated it from Spurs has now been reduced to one - and the Gunners all of a sudden seem well-placed to achieve the top-four finish that seemed way beyond them at the turn of the year.

Having stretched its unbeaten run to four games with an impressive hammering of AC Milan last week, it looked as if this game was set to be a stroll for the home side, and it started as such on a chilly night in north London.

Walcott found space on the touchline and whipped across a wicked pass, but Van Persie somehow failed to tap in from six yards.

Cheick Tiote was lucky to escape without a booking after sinking his studs in to Alex Song's ankle with a late challenge.

The Gunners were dominating but the home crowd were stunned in to silence in the 15th minute when the Magpies took the lead.

Vermaelen erroneously passed to Tiote and the ball found its way to the right flank, where Ben Arfa cut inside and fired a precise finish past Wojciech Szczesny.

The home crowd were on their feet less than a minute later, however, as Van Persie came to the rescue.

Walcott galloped down the right after being freed by Rosicky and he crossed for the Dutchman, who shrugged off Williamson's challenge before slotting home.

A scrappy period followed. Arsenal's build-up play was impressive but it was failing to test Tim Krul in the Newcastle goal.

Fabricio Coloccini did well to block Walcott's shot as the ball pinged around the Newcastle box in the dying minutes of the first half.

Newcastle brought on James Perch for Davide Santon, who had struggled to keep tabs on Walcott during the first half.

The England winger did not take long to slip past his new marker, however, as he got to the byline and curled over a lovely ball but Rosicky headed at Krul.

Coloccini threw himself in to the line of Mikel Arteta's shot to deny Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who moments later delivered a pin-point cross to Van Persie but the striker could only muster a weak shot at Krul.

Rosicky, who earlier in the day signed a contract extension, was in exquisite form, embarrassing Yohan Cabaye with a clever turn before finding Van Persie in the box, but he was again denied by Krul.

Rosicky then missed a glorious chance to put Arsenal ahead. He exchanged passes with Walcott, and found acres of space in the box but he mis-hit so badly that his shot went out for a throw.

Newcastle gifted Arsenal another chance to equalise 10 minutes from the end when Ben Arfa surrendered possession to Kieran Gibbs, who found Van Persie in the box but he fired well wide from a tight angle.

It seemed as if Arsenal was not going to find the way through as another chance to win the game escaped it.

Arteta's corner somehow evaded everyone in the box apart from Gervinho at the back post but he horribly miscued wide.

Krul came to Newcastle's rescue in the final minute, palming over a brilliant header from Vermaelen with an acrobatic save which looked to have saved the game.

Walcott drove a deflected shot over in injury-time, which he felt struck Coloccini's arm, but referee Howard Webb waved away his protests.

Arsene Wenger thought the game was over, sitting with his head in his hands, but Walcott's 95th-minute cross dropped in to Vermaelen's path and he finished from close range to send the home crowd in to ecstasy.

Disappointing scenes followed as Van Persie and Krul squared up in the aftermath of the goal. Both were booked and Krul had to be restrained after the final whistle.

Pardew waxed lyrical about the 30-year-old striker after his injury-time goal had denied Sunderland a famous derby victory on Tyneside last weekend and taken his own tally in that particular fixture to seven.

Only Jackie Milburn with 11 derby goals heads Ameobi in the all-time list, but the modest Nigeria-born Geordie was somewhat abashed by the compliment.

He said: "To be honest, the first thought that came to my mind when I heard that was, 'Are you mad?', but I guess that was his way of appreciating getting the goal against our rivals.

"I know he holds me in high regard in the dressing room and as a player, there's nothing better than your manager having that faith in you that you can pull through when he needs you.

"For me, it's fantastic. To have that sort of praise from the head of the club means a lot, and hopefully I can carry on helping us win games."

Ameobi's latest derby heroics came after he was introduced as a late substitute having missed training through illness earlier in the week.

However, with big-money January signing Papiss Cisse having joined Demba Ba at St James' Park, the man who as a youngster learnt his trade in the shadows of the likes of Alan Shearer, Craig Bellamy, Patrick Kluivert and later honed it alongside Michael Owen and Mark Viduka, is having to remain patient.

At times, his efforts on the pitch have not gone down well and he acknowledges that he has vociferous critics.

But his growing reputation as a derby specialist means he has also tasted the kind of adulation Tyneside reserves for men who come up with the goods in the most important fixture of any season.

It is an incongruity with which Ameobi has had to deal throughout his career with his home-town club.

He said: "For me, it's certainly trying to keep that level head, that level state of mind. It's something I have always tried to do over the years, not get too low and not get too high.

"Yes, enjoy it when it's great, but don't beat yourself up about it when things aren't going so well. That's the way you have to be, certainly in a city and at a club that is so passionate about the game.

"It's certainly something I have had to master, and it's worked out for me thus far."

Ameobi, who will hope for a further chance to contribute in Monday's tough Barclays Premier League trip to Arsenal, cannot quite believe his is now one of the senior voices in the dressing room after a whirlwind career with his home-town club.

He said: "It's gone so quickly. When I pass people in the street, they can't believe I am 30.

"It's gone by that fast, but it soon comes upon you and you obviously have to change the way you look at things and change your game as well."

The pair have been key figures in the club's rise and extended stay inside the Premier League's top six, and although their recent absence due to Tiote's presence at the African Nations Cup and Cabaye's three-match ban did the Magpies no apparent harm, their return has been more than welcome.

Manager Alan Pardew admitted the France international and his sidekick looked rusty in the 2-2 draw with Wolves a fortnight ago, and they found themselves up against it in last weekend's derby clash with Sunderland as Lee Cattermole and Craig Gardner enjoyed the better of their first half duel.

However, they responded after the beak to lay the foundation for a fightback, and now Cabaye is hoping they can remain fit and in tandem until the end of the campaign to help fulfil the club's ambitions.

He said: "Now there are 11 games and we hope to play together in all 11 games and help to win many of them to stay at the top of the league and get into the Europa League or maybe more.

"Personally, I love playing next to Cheick. He understands football.

"He can play easily one- and two-touch, he is a very, very good midfielder and he can get the ball up the field to the attackers.

"For us, he is very good. For me and for the wide players, we can go forward and Cheick stays just in front of the back four."

Cabaye, a £4.8 million ($6.2 million) northern summer signing from French double winner Lille, has been a big hit in his first season on Tyneside, although he admits it has taken him time to find his feet in English football.

His second game for the club was the derby trip to Sunderland, which Newcastle won 1-0, a game which quickly acclimatised him not only to the intensity of the Premier League, but also the passion of the north-east rivalry.

Almost seven months on, he is confident he has got to grips with the game in this country.

He said: "I have learnt about the intensity in the game and to run, to attack, to defend. I am stronger now than at the start of the season.

"It [the English game] is more physical. The referee doesn't whistle like in France, so you have to learn about that. You have to be very focused."

Cabaye has certainly not shirked his duties on the physical side even if Tiote is regarded as the enforcer in that midfield engine room.

Indeed, he has found himself on the wrong side of officialdom on several occasions already this season, most significantly when he was convicted on video evidence of kicking out at Brighton defender Adam El-Abd during the Magpies' 1-0 FA Cup fourth round defeat at the Amex Stadium on January 28.

However, that enforced lay-off has left the 26-year-old raring to go for the remainder of the campaign.

He said: "I was disappointed with my three-match ban, but I had a good rest and I worked hard to be fit for the end of the season."

Cabaye and his team-mates head for Arsenal on Tuesday morning (AEDT) knowing they face a major challenge if there is to be a repeat its 1-0 victory there last season with the fourth-placed Gunners having returned to something like top form in recent weeks.

Manager Alan Pardew said: "They are probably in that form that is the best of the season for them, so we are going to find it a very, very tough game. But we are in pretty good shape as well.

"It's a game in which we are going to have to go and attack because if we go in any other way, we could be picked off."

The former Republic of Ireland international took over the reins, initially on a temporary basis, after the Magpies had slipped out of the Premier League at the end of the 2008-09 season, and steered them back into the big time as champion at the first attempt.

However, in December 2010 and to the fury of many fans, he was replaced by incumbent Alan Pardew.

Llambias told the Evening Chronicle: "Chris was a really good guy - look what he's doing with Birmingham. He's done an incredible job with a club in crisis, and he's pushed it through.

"He's got the skill factors. I wish him good luck for the future.

"We had a different view of where we wanted to be and what sort of character we needed to push this dressing room further.

"That was the decision. It wasn't a question of skill fits or somebody doing a bad job. We needed to kick on - that's what happened.

"Alan, we felt, had all the ingredients for what we needed for us personally."

That decision by Llambias and owner Mike Ashley has worked well for the club despite the ill-feeling it caused with the Magpies currently sitting in sixth place in the table and still in with a shout of European qualification.

However, Pardew was recruited in part because he would fight his own corner, and Llambias has revealed he does just that.

He said: "We fall out, don't worry! Then we have a little hug and we are OK again. If you are all lovey-dovey all the time, it just won't work."

The Gunners can focus all their attention on the league over the next two months, having been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in midweek despite a gallant effort to overturn their 4-0 first-leg deficit against AC Milan.

Manager Arsene Wenger has lost a number of players for lengthy periods this term, but Gibbs reckons the north London side is coming good just at the right time and knows consistency is now key.

"I think you have to give credit to the players who played while the others were out," he said on www.arsenal.com.

"People don't realise that we basically had half a squad at one stage and the team was just down to its bare bones.

"But obviously now we have a bigger squad, we can rotate more, players won't be as tired and the team looks a lot stronger. You can obviously see the benefits from that.

"Everybody has come together now and we have overcome a difficult period. We need to be consistent like this now for the rest of the season."

Arsenal have found some domestic form since its Champions League humiliation at the San Siro, which was swiftly followed by an exit from the FA Cup at Sunderland.

However, despite morale-boosting wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, there remains little margin for error.

Indeed, the Gunners could be back down to fifth in the table should Chelsea beat Stoke City, while third-placed Spurs could extend their current four-point cushion with a positive result at Everton ahead of Arsenal's Monday night clash against Newcastle United.

Magpies boss Alan Pardew has confirmed the Denmark international, whose contract expires in the northern summer, may not play again this term because of a thigh problem.

Pardew said: "We have got a bad injury this week - Peter Lovenkrands has really hurt his thigh.

"We are not sure yet, but he's definitely torn it and he might have ruptured it, so we think that's him for the season, actually, which is a very big blow for him with his contract up and everything."

Lovenkrands, who joined the club as a free agent under former boss Chris Hughton after a successful loan spell, has been used sparingly this season, but came on as a substitute in last weekend's 1-1 derby draw with Sunderland.

The charges relate to an incident which followed Black Cats winger James McClean's 19th-minute challenge on Magpies fullback Danny Simpson.

An FA statement read: "Newcastle United and Sunderland have both been charged with misconduct following the match between the two sides on Sunday, March 4, 2012.

"The charge is that the clubs failed to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour and is in relation to an incident which occurred in the 19th minute following a challenge by Sunderland's James McClean on Newcastle's Danny Simpson.

"Both clubs have until 4pm on March 12, 2012 to respond to the charge."

Simpson was unhappy with McClean's tackle at the Gallowgate End of the stadium and his reaction sparked a 21-man melee. Referee Mike Dean restored order and cautioned McClean and Simpson, but took no further action.

The incident was one of a series of flashpoints in an game which saw Dean issue eight yellow cards and reds to Sunderland duo Lee Cattermole and Stephane Sessegnon.

There were repeated confrontations between the two benches, with Newcastle's goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman sent to the stands at half-time after clashing with Sunderland's fitness coach Jim Henry.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew also apologised for celebrating in front of the Black Cats' bench when his side was awarded an 82nd-minute penalty.

The war of words continued in the post-match press conferences with Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill suggesting a delegation from the home coaching staff had visited the referee's room, while Pardew accused the visitors of adopting an 'ugly' approach.

O'Neill hit back, bringing forward a scheduled press conference with local newspaper and radio reporters to refute Pardew's claim.

The two were at loggerheads after a tempestuous Tyne-Wear derby, which ended 1-1 with nine yellow cards and two reds issued by referee Mike Dean.

The two dismissals were both Sunderland players - Lee Cattermole and Stephane Sessegnon - and Pardew was critical of the Black Cats' tactics in the match.

O'Neill disagrees, however, and told BBC Newcastle: "The half-time stats are a total contradiction to what their manager said. They've twice the number of bookings we have, and twice as many fouls.

"It was an extraordinary analysis of the game, and that's what I've set out to defend, as much as anything else.

"You think you've watched the game, given a reasonable analysis, certainly your own viewpoint, then you hear the opposition manager saying that Sunderland had a game plan to upset them, to unnerve them, to basically - and he used the word 'ugly' - attempt to kick them off the pitch."

O'Neill cited various statistics in defence of his side and, though he admits Sessegnon and Cattermole deserved to be sent off, he has hit out at Newcastle's own involvement.

The Northern Irishman was particularly unhappy with Cheick Tiote after the Magpies midfielder's reaction to Sessegnon elbowing him.

"Sessegnon deserved to be sent off the pitch, I said that at the time, because he raised his arm in retaliation," O'Neill added.

"He's flung an arm back in the manner that, if the referee sees, he has no option but to send him off.

"Tiote, this 'hard man' of the Premier League, has clutched part of his anatomy that wasn't even touched - he was hit between the chest and neck - enough to hit a fly over.

"He's gone down two-and-a-half seconds after the incident, and rolled around 14 times."

The 30-year-old striker snatched a point with an injury-time equaliser, his seventh goal in the Tyne-Wear encounter which leaves him second only to Magpies legend Jackie Milburn in the all-time list.

Ameobi, who had been ill in the run-up to the game, came off the bench as a 72nd-minute replacement for Papiss Cisse with the visitors leading 1-0, and left his mark on the game in the nick of time.

Pardew said: "I can't speak highly enough about this kid, and we have his brother [Sammy] in the building as well, who has got a terrible injury and is coming back.

"They are a great family and what has been passed down by his parents, he carries through to this team.

"I have spoken about him very highly in this room before. I love him to bits and I am absolutely delighted for him."

Ameobi's intervention spared Demba Ba's blushes after Newcastle's leading scorer passed up a glorious opportunity to cancel out Sunderland's lead.

Nicklas Bendtner had put the Black Cats ahead from the penalty spot after 24 minutes following Mike Williamson's tug on Michael Turner's shirt, and referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot for a second time with 18 minutes remaining after substitute Fraizer Campbell had tripped Ameobi.

However, Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet pulled off a fine save low to his left, only for Ameobi to beat him from Williamson's flick-on at the death.

The equaliser was all the more galling for the visitors because they had played the last 32 minutes of normal time with only 10 men after Stephane Sessegnon was sent off for elbowing Cheick Tiote.

Skipper Lee Cattermole, who had picked up his 10th booking of the season after just 40 seconds, suffered the same fate as the Benin international after the final whistle for using foul and abusive language to the official.

Pardew, whose goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman was sent to the stands at half-time, was simply delighted to have come out of a tough fixture with honour intact and European qualification still a possibility.

He said: "This is a fantastic position we find ourselves in tonight. We have got a great chance of European football with 11 games to go.

"They are the most important games of any season. I am glad this is out of the way now.

"We can concentrate on what we are about and hopefully get the wins."

Opposite number Martin O'Neill left Tyneside reflecting on what might have been.

He said: "I am absolutely delighted with the team, really delighted with them.

"We had a lot to make up for after last week's debacle at West Bromwich Albion, but we played very, very strongly and had we held out, I think I would have been coming in here and saying we deserved all three points."

O'Neill will discover on Monday exactly for how long Cattermole will be banned, but both he and Sessegnon will definitely miss the FA Cup quarter-final trip to Everton.

In a game which saw one penalty scored, another missed, eight yellow cards, two red cards on the pitch and a third in the tunnel, a last-gasp equaliser and repeated confrontations between the respective benches, the pair headed home experiencing widely contrasting emotions.

It is a fair bet referee Mike Dean did so to lie down in a darkened room after what must have been one of the busiest afternoons of his career.

From the moment he booked Black Cats skipper Lee Cattermole for a wild challenge on Cheick Tiote with just 40 seconds gone he was a central character, and he left the field to be greeted by accusations that he had received a visit from the Newcastle coaching staff at half-time.

Asked about the straight red card Cattermole received for confronting Dean after the final whistle, O'Neill said: "Possibly in mitigation we had heard that some of their staff had visited the referee's changing room at half-time.

"Of course, we are not party to what was said, but Lee's mitigating circumstance was that he felt a lot of decisions had gone Newcastle's way in the second half.

"That may well be. It doesn't necessarily mean I agree with it, but if you have a little look back, Newcastle themselves would consider themselves lucky to have 11 men still on the field if the referee had continued according to the way he started the game."

Pardew, whose goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman was dismissed at half-time after a spat with Sunderland fitness coach Jim Henry, insisted no-one had visited the referee.

He said: "I can tell you that's completely untrue. None of our staff was allowed in the referee's room. No-one tried to enter it and no-one entered their dressing room.

"I heard that rumour and it's not right."

The feistiest Tyne-Wear derby for some time began with Cattermole's lunge at Cheick Tiote and never really dropped in tempo as Sunderland capitalised on an impressive first-half display by snatching a deserved lead.

Sunderland led through Nicklas Bendtner's 24th-minute penalty after Mike Williamson was penalised for pulling Michael Turner's shirt, but was reduced to 10 men in the 58th minute when Stephane Sessegnon elbowed Tiote.

But for all the Magpies dominated thereafter, central defenders John O'Shea and Turner kept them at bay until Fraizer Campbell tripped fellow substitute Shola Ameobi.

Simon Mignolet pulled off a superb save to keep out Demba Ba's penalty, but in the first minute of stoppage-time Ameobi steered Williamson's flick-on home.

Pardew, who had celebrated prematurely when the spot-kick was awarded to the clear annoyance of the Sunderland bench, said: "Listen, let's not all get carried away here. This has been a great game of football.

"What happens on the bench sometimes gets out of hand, silly things are said. It happens all the time and you just get on with it.

"I have never done that before. It just goes to show that the pressure of the game can get to even the oldest of managers like myself. I was feeling like 58 today rather than 50."

O'Neill, who indicated he would not be taking up the offer of a glass of wine with Pardew, was able to take plenty of positives from his first taste of the derby.

He said: "It was everything that people had told me about, everything, absolutely everything.

"Hostility, which I am kind of used to - that's even from my own fans - fervour, everything, everything.

"In a perverse sort of way, I was enjoying it - it had to be really perverse - but there was obviously disappointment at the end."

That disappointment was compounded by the fact that both Sessegnon and Cattermole will now miss the FA Cup quarter-final trip to Everton through suspension.

The Nigerian-born striker stabbed home his seventh goal in the Tyne-Wear fixture a minute into injury-time to let leading scorer Demba Ba off the hook after he had seen an 83rd-minute penalty brilliantly saved by Simon Mignolet.

The Black Cats, who were reduced to 10 men when Stephane Sessegnon was dismissed after 58 minutes and had skipper Lee Cattermole sent off after the final whistle, had taken a 24th-minute lead.

Referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot for Mike Williamson's tug on Michael Turner's shirt and Nicklas Bendtner calmly slotted the penalty past Tim Krul.

The visitor was the better side before the break, but Newcastle, which had earlier seen a Ba header come back off the crossbar, responded after it in front of a passionate crowd of 52,388 to lay siege to Mignolet's goal.

And Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill, who was involved in angry exchanges with counterpart Alan Pardew on several occasions during a pulsating encounter, could only look on as his first derby ended with contrasting emotions.

Sunderland has not fared well on Tyneside in recent seasons - it had not tasted victory at the home of its old foe since November 2000 - and went into the game with only one win in the last 14.

However, from the moment Cattermole senselessly careered into Cheick Tiote with just 40 seconds gone, it was it which largely set the tempo in a first half which, if not one for the purists, was nevertheless absorbing.

Amid a cacophony of noise from a packed house, the visitor enjoyed the better of the opening 45 minutes with Cattermole and Craig Gardner eclipsing Tiote and Yohan Cabaye in the middle of the field to allow Sebastian Larsson and Sessegnon to feed lone striker Bendtner.

However, it was referee Dean who proved the central character as he slipped further in the estimation of the locals.

Dean failed to send off Chelsea's David Luiz for a clear red card offence in December and, having already handed out five cautions inside the opening 23 minutes, he awarded the Black Cats a penalty as Williamson pulled Turner's shirt in the area as the pair jockeyed for position under Kieran Richardson's free-kick.

It took several seconds for the travelling fans high up in the stands behind Mignolet's goal to understand what had happened, but their joy increased markedly when Bendtner slid the spot-kick beyond Krul's dive to open the scoring.

Aggrieved as they were, the Magpies simply could not respond and Krul had to make a fine save to keep out Bendtner's powerfully-struck shot on the turn 13 minutes before the break, and was grateful to see Craig Gardner's deflected effort drop just over his crossbar three minutes later.

However, Newcastle finally found its feet and might have been level six minutes before the break had Mignolet not managed to beat away skipper Fabricio Coloccini's firm header from a Ryan Taylor corner.

It went even close in the final minute of the half when Ba met another Taylor corner at the near post and thumped a header against the bar.

The home side was itself appealing for a penalty in injury-time when Ba went down under John O'Shea's challenge, but nothing was given.

Pardew made a change at the break when he replaced left-back Davide Santon with Hatem Ben Arfa and asked Taylor to slot back into the defence.

Newcastle immediately had a new momentum and it went close twice within seconds as Ba glanced a header across goal and then fired just wide after turning Turner 20 yards out.

However, it took a fine double save by Krul to deny first Larsson and then James McClean as the home side was caught on the counter with 57 minutes gone.

But Sunderland's task increased in difficulty seconds later when Sessegnon was dismissed for lashing out at Tiote, although with Turner and O'Shea defending doggedly, it was managing to hold firm, if at times at full stretch.

It took a fine save by Mignolet to deny Ben Arfa after he had cut inside from the left with 13 minutes remaining, and the Frenchman was convinced he should have been awarded a penalty two minutes later after he went to ground under McClean's challenge.

The referee did, however, point to the spot once again with eight minutes remaining after Fraizer Campbell had tripped fellow substitute Ameobi.

Ba stepped up in anticipation of his 17th goal of the season, but saw Mignolet dive to his left to make a superb save.

However, there was nothing the Belgian could do to deny Ameobi when he stabbed home at the far post after Williamson had flicked on Cabaye's cross to spare Ba's blushes.

The 26-year-old left the pitch with a groin injury during Saturday's 2-2 Barclays Premier League draw with Wolves, and the club today confirmed that after being assessed by medical staff, he will play no part in the game.

A spokesman said: "Newcastle United can today confirm that Papiss Cisse has been withdrawn from the Senegal squad to face South Africa on Wednesday."

"The striker, signed in January from Freiburg, sustained a slight groin injury in Newcastle's 2-2 draw against Wolves and was substituted midway through the second half of the match.

"Having been assessed by United's medical staff, Cisse will not take part in Senegal's friendly."

Manchester United striker Macheda, currently on loan at Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle United forward Ranger and Walsall's Smith are accused of acting in a way which was 'improper and/or brought the game into disrepute', including 'a reference to a person's or persons' sexual orientation'.

The three players have until 4pm on Wednesday to respond.

An FA statement read: "Newcastle United's Nile Ranger, Walsall's Manny Smith and Manchester United's Federico Macheda, currently on loan at Queens Park Rangers, have all been charged with improper conduct in relation to comments made on Twitter.

"The charge is that the players acted in a way which was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute.

"It is further alleged that the breach included a reference to a person's or persons' sexual orientation.

"Each has until 4pm on Wednesday 29 February 2012 to respond to the charge."

West Ham United midfielder Ravel Morrison was last week fined £7,000 ($10,302) by the FA in response to a homophobic remark made on Twitter.

Morrison, who completed an undisclosed switch to Upton Park from Manchester United at the end of January, is reported to have made the comment in response to another Twitter user.

The 19-year-old was also warned as to his future conduct by the FA.

The visitor, which sacked Mick McCarthy in the wake of the derby drubbing by West Bromwich Albion, looked dead and buried after Papiss Cisse and then Jonas Gutierrez had fired the Magpies into a 2-0 lead with just 18 minutes played.

However, in front of the disbelieving eyes of a crowd of 52,287, the avalanche failed to materialise and after Matt Jarvis had dragged the visitor back into the game five minutes into the second half, Doyle struck with 66 minutes gone to snatch a draw which dented the home side's hopes of putting pressure on the Premier League's top four.

Both sides had conceded five times in their previous game, but for 45 minutes, only one looked likely to repeat that feat as the visitor's disappointing return in front of goal and inability to deny the opposition at the other end returned to haunt it.

In truth, Wolves enjoyed as much of the possession as its host, but where it huffed and puffed without ever really troubling keep Tim Krul, Newcastle managed to expose opposite number Wayne Hennessey almost at will, and beat him twice within the opening 18 minutes.

The Wales international found himself in the thick of the action almost from the off, although his side contributed to its own downfall as the first goal arrived with just six minutes played.

Yohan Cabaye, back from his three-match suspension to partner Cheick Tiote in his first appearance since the beginning of last month, caught Christophe Berra in possession and crossed for Demba Ba to audaciously back-heel a shot towards goal.

Hennessey pulled off a fine save to deny the Senegal international, but after the ball was scrambled clear, Tiote returned it with interest and Cisse turned his shot home.

The keeper kept Newcastle at bay with 17 minutes gone when he tipped Danny Simpson's searing drive over the bar, but he was beaten again within seconds.

Doyle's clearing header dropped to Gutierrez 25 yards out, and the Argentinian took a controlling touch before rifling a shot into the top corner.

For all that it had been plunged into a seemingly hopeless position, the visitor continued to pass the ball confidently with Jarvis down the left and right-back Ronald Zubar causing problems.

However, it was able to create little of note, along Krul did have to come quickly from his line to prevent Jarvis from picking up the pieces after Doyle's 36th-minute effort had been blocked.

Cisse had earlier flicked a header wide and Stephen Ward, who needed extensive treatment after being caught in a challenge with Ryan Taylor, covered superbly to block the same man's shot in front of goal with three minutes of the first half remaining.

But as the players left the pitch at half-time, there was cause for optimism in only one of the dressing rooms.

However, the mood changed markedly within five minutes of the restart as Wolves was granted a slice of the sort of good fortune which has eluded it for much of the season to date.

Jarvis cut inside from the left and fired in a shot which clipped fullback Simpson and looped high over Krul and into the net.

Cabaye dragged a shot just wide from 20 yards three minutes later, but Wanderers sensed an opportunity and might have been level with 54 minutes gone had Doyle managed to get a touch to Jamie O'Hara's cross as he dived in.

Newcastle's response was tepid to leave manager Alan Pardew a concerned man inside his technical area, and his mood would not have been improved by the sight of fullback Ward cutting inside to test Krul with a skidding shot which glanced off Tiote on its way to goal on the hour.

Cabaye and Ba failed to make the most of a 62nd-minute counter-attack with Newcastle looking increasingly disjointed, and Pardew immediately instructed Hatem Ben Arfa to warm up.

Ben Arfa and Danny Guthrie duly arrived in place of the limping Cisse and Taylor, but Wolves was level within seconds of their introduction.

Mike Williamson headed O'Hara's free-kick straight at Doyle, who reacted first to the rebound to poke the ball into the bottom corner.

In a frantic conclusion, it was Newcastle which could not rediscover its cutting edge with Wolves seeing out time under pressure, but with little genuine difficulty with Ben Arfa going close, but not close enough, twice in a frustrating finish to the game.

The 25-year-old was part of the Cote d'Ivoire side which went toe-to-toe with Zambia in an enthralling final before ultimately losing 8-7 in a penalty shoot-out.

Tiote was so disappointed at the heartbreaking defeat he gave away his losers' medal, and Pardew has revealed some of his club-mates have been made to pay since his return to Tyneside.

Asked if his midfield enforcer had been adversely affected by the experience, the manager replied: "It doesn't look like it.

"He has kicked everybody so far, so I think he has got it out of his system this week.

"One or two of our players have had to take the brunt of that. I think he will be all right by Saturday (Sunday AEDT)."

Tiote's presence in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon meant he missed seven of his club's games, and while the Magpies remain firmly in touch with the English Premier League's top four, there is little doubt he was missed in particular at Fulham and Tottenham, where Newcastle conceded five times on both occasions.

However, both he and central midfield partner Yohan Cabaye are available after the Frenchman completed his three-match ban, and Pardew will have no hesitation in restoring them to his starting line-up despite creditable contributions from the likes of Danny Guthrie, Ryan Taylor and James Perch in their absence.

He said: "They are great players - one won the Double last year in France, and the other almost won the African Nations Cup, but for a penalty shoot-out, so we are talking top players here.

"They have proven that week in, week out for us, and I am delighted to have them back.

"It's important that we put in a performance that justifies where we are in the division.

"It does help that I have got some iconic players back, I can't deny that, and they are all going to play."

The Magpies will welcome Wolves to the north-east sitting in sixth place in the table, but only a point worse off than Arsenal and Chelsea, the two sides currently immediately above it.

However, despite tough weeks for both Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and Blues counterpart Andre Villas-Boas, Pardew once again brushed away suggestions his team could be regarded as genuine contenders for Champions League qualification, for the time being, at least.

He said: "Both clubs are having difficult spells at the moment, I think that's fair to say - but so are we.

"We have just been beaten 5-0 by Tottenham, so we have got no right to claim a Champions League place.

"If we are still in this position with six games to go, then we will give it every go.

"But we are a long way from that yet."

Wolves, of course, is yet to appoint a successor to Mick McCarthy following his dismissal, and Pardew does not know with whom he will be shaking hands before kick-off.

He said: "It's difficult. They are obviously trying to go through a process of getting the right man, and it's a hard act to follow.

"Mick McCarthy did an absolutely super job - I don't think any Wolves fans would begrudge me saying that - at that football club, so it's a tough one to call.

"I think they are probably looking for someone to take the club on from where Mick has left it."

Meanwhile, Pardew, who declined to comment on reports from France he is to sign 22-year-old Reims midfielder Romain Amalfitano, is not expecting any great backlash in the first home fixture since the club removed the "St James' Park" sign from their stadium last week.

He said: "There might be a little bit beforehand with the upset of taking the sign down, and I can understand that from a fan's point of view.

"But once the game kicks off, it's about that product on the pitch and I think they trust the players, they know they will get a performance out of them."

The on-loan Tottenham man underwent a scan on the hamstring injury suffered during the 5-1 home defeat by West Brom and it has revealed a minor grade one tear.

Steve Kemp, head of Wolves' medical department, said: "The scan has revealed a grade one tear and Sebastien has started his rehabilitation at Compton (training ground).

"We'll see how it progresses but, if he makes a good recovery, he'll have a chance of being available for the trip to Newcastle."

Following a week which saw Redknapp cleared of tax evasion charges and then installed as the bookmakers' favourite following the resignation of England boss Fabio Capello, Redknapp was relieved to get back to the game.

Following a 13-day stint in court he was able to watch Louis Saha, with a double, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Niko Kranjcar and Emmanuel Adebayor score the goals to down Alan Pardew's men and keep Spurs in the title race.

Redknapp said: "The crowd have been brilliant with me, they've been great and I appreciated their support.

"This was the most difficult week I've ever had. I wouldn't want anyone to go through that and what it's done to my family was worse.

"But it's behind us now and the week's turned out good."

Pardew said: "Tottenham were irresistible. Some of the things they were doing, they were doing for fun, Adebayor and Saha were a real handful for us.

"They had an extra bounce in their step after what happened to their manager this week.

"They all wanted to show they wanted their manager to stay but we should have done better for the first two goals."

The win kept Tottenham in contention with the top two on a day when Manchester United's 2-1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford was overshadowed by the continued fallout from Luis Suarez's spat with Patrice Evra.

Suarez's first start following his eight-game ban for racially abusing Evra was marred by a new flashpoint when he refused to shake Evra's hand before the game - an action for which the player and his club subsequently apologised.

As both managers continued to put their case on TV after the game, United was celebrating a Wayne Rooney double which earned them a win despite Suarez's late consolation.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas accepted the negative chants of his own club's supporters after the 2-0 defeat at Everton left it fifth on the table.

Villas-Boas, whose position at Stamford Bridge is coming under scrutiny, said: "It is part of the job. At the moment we are sitting fifth in the league and it is not enough for us."

Everton manager David Moyes saw Steven Pienaar and Denis Stracqualursi get the goals and then praised the former, who is back at Goodison Park on loan from Tottenham.

Moyes said: "He got clapped by everyone at the end, some of the stuff he did was terrific.

"I said to him at the end it was like he had never been away. Sometimes clubs just fit players and maybe that is the case."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger enjoyed the "luxury" of Thierry Henry after the striker scored the winner in the 2-1 victory at Sunderland.

"It's just a luxury to have a player like him on the bench," said Wenger.

Henry, playing in the final Premier League game of his loan spell at the Gunners from New York Red Bulls, hit the late winner.

James McClean had given Sunderland the lead before Aaron Ramsey struck the equaliser.

Strikes by Aiyegbeni Yakubu and Steven Nzonzi and a Nedum Onuoha own goal saw Blackburn Rovers to a 3-2 home win against Queens Park Rangers. Jamie Mackie scored twice late on for the visitors.

Strugglers Wigan Athletic earned a 2-1 win at Bolton Wanderers with goals from Gary Caldwell and James McArthur, Mark Davies netting for the home side.

Pavel Pogrebnyak scored on his Fulham Athletic debut in the 2-1 win over Stoke City. Clint Dempsey's shot came back off the bar and hit Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen on the back before the ball crossed the line, while Ryan Shawcross headed a consolation for the visitors.

Grant Holt scored twice and Anthony Pilkington also netted as Norwich City won 3-2 at Swansea City, Danny Graham getting two for the home side.

Louis Saha scored his first two goals for the club and there were also strikes from Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Niko Kranjcar and Emmanuel Adebayor as Spurs moved within five points of the Premier League summit.

The performance was one of the team's best of the season and came amid a background of constant adulation from the home crowd towards their manager.

The 64-year-old started the week with the prospect of jail hanging over him, but by Wednesday afternoon he found himself in the clear and in pole position to take over as England's head coach after Fabio Capello's shock resignation.

Chants of 'you're Spurs and you know you are' greeted Redknapp as he made an emotional return to the dugout and 'we want you to stay' rang out on several occasions as the home support made it clear that they did not want to lose their boss, who has transformed the club from relegation candidate to title chaser within just over three years.

Redknapp acknowledged their chants with a warm smile and wave, but it remains to be seen whether their pleas will be enough to make their boss stay at White Hart Lane.

The reality is surely that he is extremely interested in taking Capello's place and on this evidence, it is easy to see why he is the overwhelming favourite for the post.

If any of the four-man FA board tasked with appointing Capello's successor was watching, they will have been delighted with what they saw.

Despite being without key talisman Rafael van der Vaart, who was out with a calf injury, Redknapp's men started in devastating fashion and were two up after five minutes.

With barely three minutes on the clock, Adebayor played a one-two with Kranjcar and he crossed for Assou-Ekotto, who rifled home from a tight angle to score after three minutes.

Two minutes later it was 2-0. Adebayor peeled off down the right, muscled his way past Fabricio Coloccini and crossed for Saha, who turned home from six yards.

Redknapp, usually a restrained figure on the bench, sprung to his feet and punched the air with glee.

Tottenham continued to pulverise the away side and added the third in the 20th minute.

Luka Modric jinked into the box and found Adebayor and he laid the ball off to Saha, who smashed home from 12 yards.

Demba Ba curled a free-kick just wide, but otherwise Newcastle barely threatened in the first half.

Tottenham was playing some of its best football under Redknapp and the popular manager was on his feet again in the 34th minute as the home side scored again.

Tim Krul's save from Adebayor's close-range shot ricocheted in to the path of Kranjcar and he swept home from 15 yards for his first Spurs goal in a year.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew turned away in disgust at his team's defending and it did little to suggest it was capable of offering anything at the other end.

Ba drove a low shot straight at Brad Friedel but Tottenham was soon on the attack again through Saha, who curled a shot just wide.

Adebayor, Assou-Ekotto and Kranjcar all missed chances in first-half injury-time.

Pardew ditched the ineffective Gabriel Obertan at half-time and brought on Shane Ferguson in his place.

There was no let-up in the Spurs pressure, though, as the host looked for a fifth.

Gareth Bale played a delightful chip over the Magpies' back four but Adebayor mistimed his run and the Togo striker wasted another chance moments later by screwing his shot wide.

Redknapp thanked the jubilant home crowd once more as they chanted his name.

Newcastle gained more possession, but it could only muster a weak attempt on goal from Jonas Gutierrez, and moments later Krul was once again picking the ball out of his net.

Saha nodded Assou-Ekotto's cross towards Adebayor and he wrapped his right leg around his marker to poke home and make it 5-0.

With 24 minutes left Redknapp brought on Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon for Bale and Saha, who received a big hug from the Spurs manager.

Kyle Walker skinned his marker and whipped in a cross but Adebayor just missed the header that would have made it six.

Newcastle missed a great chance to score a consolation soon after but Dan Gosling skied over from six yards after Friedel had done well to save Ba's point-blank header.

At the final whistle, an emotional Redknapp gave his thanks to all four corners of the ground before disappearing down the tunnel, clearly delighted with his team's performance.

Pardew was installed among the favourites to succeed Capello behind clear front-runner Harry Redknapp. Should Redknapp's favouritism prove well-founded, there would also be a vacancy to fill at Tottenham and the Magpies manager has already been touted as a possible replacement for that job too.

However, having insisted he is not a candidate for the England job and that he wants to stay on Tyneside, Pardew was adopting a measured approach.

He said: "It's nice, it's flattering, but football is a strange game. Your flag goes up the pole and comes down just as quickly, so you mustn't get carried away.

"We are doing a good job at the minute and we are obviously pleased with that."

Pardew, of course, has only been in his post at Newcastle since December 2010, and the 50-year-old's stock has risen markedly since he was parachuted in, to the horror of many fans, as a replacement for the popular Chris Hughton.

However, the progress made on and off the field under his charge has been little short of staggering, and Newcastle head for Tottenham on Saturday evening (Sunday AEDT) sitting in fifth place in the English Premier League table.

In reaffirming is commitment to the club, Pardew admitted he is excited at what might lie ahead.

He said: "I am excited by the fact that we have got a good group of players and we have got good talent in that group.

"We are trying to challenge as best we can in the Premier League, and we are doing a good job at the moment."

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley arrived at the club's Darsley Park training headquarters shortly after Pardew had completed his regular pre-match press conference this morning, although his presence on Tyneside was down to routine business.

By coincidence, he touched down as the manager he controversially appointed sought to distance himself from the race to succeed Capello.

Asked about the England job, he said: "Firstly as an Englishman, I am proud to be in that sort of frame, but it's not for me and I will make that quite clear. I am not even in the running as far as I am concerned.

"I am very, very happy here at Newcastle. We are on a little project here that's going really well and I want to see it through.

"The passion and everything about this place is why I want to stay here."

Pardew, who joined the groundswell of support for Redknapp, was also questioned about the implications should the hot-seat at Spurs become available, but was equally unequivocal.

He said: "I am quite happy where I am. I want to stay here and see this job through."

Pardew admitted Saturday's (Sunday AEDT) visit to White Hart Lane might now have added spice, and will certainly be no easier for his side if Redknapp's players and the home side's supporters plead with their manager to stay where he is too.

He said: "It's probably going to make it a little bit more difficult. The place will be buoyant.

"But we can only go and do the best job we can do. We are a strong team and we are in good form, so we have just got to take that to the arena and hopefully cope with all that's going on."

Meanwhile, Pardew confirmed that striker Leon Best could miss the rest of the season with the knee injury he suffered in last weekend's 2-1 win over Aston Villa after a scan confirmed medial ligament damage.

He said: "I think it will be very doubtful that we see him (again), and that's a shame for us because he has been great."

The 26-year-old Senegal international clinched three hard-earned points in a 2-1 win against Aston Villa with a superb 71st-minute volley after coming off the bench.

Ba had earlier put the home side ahead with his 16th goal in as many Barclays Premier League appearances on his return from the African Nations Cup, but Pardew is convinced his big-money January signing could run him close as the campaign reaches a conclusion.

He said: "He's got a better record than Demba in the Bundesliga.

"This is a guy who is at a good age - we are not talking about a novice player here, we are talking about a player who is honed.

"The chances are that he could be."

Cisse's strike settled an entertaining encounter during which both sides enjoyed periods of dominance.

Indeed, the visitors had the upper hand when they fell behind, Ba firing home from close range on the half-hour after he reacted first to Ryan Taylor's shot across goal.

Robbie Keane ensured the Magpies did not go in at the break with a lead when he levelled from close range five minutes into added time.

However, the Magpies returned in determined mood and regained its lead with 19 minutes remaining when Cisse controlled Jonas Gutierrez's cross on his chest and blasted a volley into the top corner.

James Perch and Cisse might have wrapped up victory in a frenetic finish, but Newcastle were indebted to keeper Tim Krul for fine saves from Ciaran Clark and substitute Gary Gardner as Villa made a concerted final push.

The win eased Newcastle back into fifth place in the table, although Pardew swiftly turned his attention to next weekend's difficult trip to Tottenham Hotspur.

He said: "We are a big club and although a few pundits at the start of the season tipped us for relegation, I will let them decide where we are going to finish.

"For us, it's about Tottenham, and the one beauty of the result is to go to Tottenham and let our hair down.

"We will have a go and if we are beaten, we are beaten, but we will certainly try to go and win the game there."

Opposite number Alex McLeish was left to reflect upon the chances which got away on an afternoon when his side might have left Tyneside with more to show for their efforts.

He said: "It's a kick in the teeth. I thought we were well worth a point, if not all three.

"We made a number of chances - the first half was especially good. We kind of controlled the game and to go behind was pretty awful to bear.

"Darren Bent had three, four maybe five, and he is the guy we would like to see on the end of those chances, but today (Sunday), Tim Krul was in top form."

The 26-year-old Senegal striker came off the bench to clinch the points which took the Magpies back into fifth place in the Premier League table and fully justified Pardew's faith in him.

Cisse cost the club approaching £10 million ($14.7 million) when he joined from German side Freiburg last month, and he could hardly have launched his career in England in better fashion.

Pardew said: "In my career, I have been lucky with strikers in debuts, and that's struck again today.

"I am really pleased because it's a big investment for the club.

"While Mike [Ashley] sanctioned it and Mike is the owner and [managing director] Derek [Llambias] had to see the deal through, it's fans' money.

"I have got to spend fans' money here - if we don't get anyone coming into the stadium, we haven't got any money, so I like to spend it well.

"We have worked hard on that, we have taken our time and we hope we got it right. He has had a great start today, [but] that's all at the moment."

Cisse claimed the headlines in spectacular style with a fine 71st-minute strike - a fitting way to end a hard-fought encounter which might have gone either way.

He controlled Jonas Gutierrez's left-wing cross on his chest before smashing a left-footed volley high into goalkeeper Shay Given's top-right corner to confirm himself has a rightful successor to the famous number nine shirt.

The Senegal international had earlier passed up a series of opportunities after replacing the injured Leon Best as a 14th-minute substitute, but did not fluff his lines when his big chance arrived.

Newcastle had taken a 30th-minute lead, against the run of play, when Demba Ba drilled home his 16th goal of the season from close range.

But Robbie Keane levelled deep into first-half stoppage-time and Villa might have snatched a point at the death but for fine saves from Tim Krul to deny first Ciaran Clark and then substitute Gary Gardner.

Pardew admitted he had not intended to pitch Cisse into battle so quickly, but was delighted with his response, and the way in which he linked up with international team-mate Ba.

He said: "People are under a misapprehension that they have this partnership that's formed - it's not, they have hardly played together.

"But they are going to complement each other well because Papiss wants to go in behind and Demba wants to come short, so you have got a nice balance there, as Villa's balance was nice today too.

"If you are going to wear that jersey at Newcastle, you need a good start, and he [Cisse] has had that.

"It was boys' annual stuff - that goal, but his all-round performance... any Newcastle fan would have been nudging their mates and saying, 'We have got a good 'un here, he looks all right'."

Villa boss Alex McLeish was pleased with much of his side's performance, but unhappy with the goals it conceded, although he insisted he had not withdrawn midfielder Stephen Ireland at half-time after he had reacted angrily to his manager's suggestion that he might have done better for Ba's goal.

The Scot said: "I know he spoke back, but at the same time, players don't like to hear the manager screaming at them from the touchline.

"But I kick every ball with them, I am passionate, I care and I wouldn't be so petty to take a player off for something like that if he is doing a fantastic job.

"But Stevie had an ankle problem. He wasn't able to close down and that was it."

Newcastle's victory came at a cost, however, with Ryan Taylor being carried off on a stretcher with a nasty shin injury, although X-rays have shown no break, while Best damaged medial ligaments.

The 26-year-old Senegal striker thumped a 71st-minute volley past former Magpies goalkeeper Shay Given to win a pulsating Premier League encounter in which the visitor enjoyed the better of the first half, but could not make the most of its chances.

Cisse, who was introduced as an early replacement for the injured Leon Best, saw international team-mate Demba Ba fire the home side into a 30th-minute lead but, after Darren Bent had twice been denied by keeper Tim Krul, Robbie Keane levelled deep into first-half stoppage-time.

However, Alan Pardew's men improved after the break and, to the delight of a crowd of 48,569, managed to see out time to bank another three points.

Newcastle ran out determined to reclaim the fifth place into which it had climbed as a result of the midweek hard-fought victory at Blackburn Rovers, and with Ba back in harness.

He was to be joined within 14 minutes by new signing Cisse in what was to prove an eventful first half.

Villa lost the corresponding fixture last season 6-0, and it returned in determined mood this time around.

Bent may not have enjoyed the best of fortunes on his visits to Tyneside with former club Sunderland - his reception was entirely predictable - although he might have silenced the boo boys with 13 minutes gone.

Keane's pass put him in behind fullback Danny Simpson and Krul did well to save from a tight angle before fielding Stiliyan Petrov's well-struck follow-up less than comfortably.

In the meantime, Best had left the field having been hurt in a block tackle with Stephen Warnock and was replaced by Cisse, who arrived to rapturous applause.

The newcomer tested Given with a flicked 16th-minute header, but it was the visitor which continued to enjoy the better of the half with Bent once again denied by Krul after being played in by central defender Richard Dunne.

However, the first goal eventually arrived, against the run of play, at the other end, and the identity of the scorer was no surprise.

Dunne got up well to head Danny Guthrie's cross away from Ba, but when Ryan Taylor smashed the ball back across goal, the former West Ham Unted frontman thumped it past Given to claim his 16th goal of the season.

But as the celebrations broke out, the medics rushed on to the pitch to tend Taylor, who had been hurt in a collision with Warnock in the build-up and left the field on a stretcher with his right leg in a brace.

Charles N'Zogbia fired into the side-netting and Stephen Ireland curled an effort just wide as Villa continued its quest for an equaliser.

However, Ba, fullback Davide Santon and Cisse might all have increased Newcastle's lead in a flurry of activity at the end of the half.

But the game's second goal eventually went the way of the visitor in the fifth minute of stoppage-time when Keane met N'Zogbia's cross unopposed in front of goal to volley home.

Villa boss Alex McLeish replaced Ireland with Barry Bannan at the break, but saw his side almost concede the lead for a second time within two minutes of the restart.

Given, who played with such distinction for Newcastle over 11-and-a-half years, uncharacteristically fumbled after Guthrie had crossed, but neither Ba nor Cisse were able to take advantage.

The game was becoming increasingly open with N'Zogbia for the visitor and Taylor's replacement Gabriel Obertan for the home side enjoying acres of space.

The former Manchester United man worked his way into a promising position with 55 minutes gone when he isolated Dunne and created space to shoot, but he sliced his effort well wide.

Cisse's first big chance arrived with 62 minutes gone and this time from the left when Guthrie clipped the ball invitingly towards him, but the striker could only lift his header over the bar.

Villa eventually responded and, as N'Zogbia made way for Emile Heskey, briefly relieved the pressure.

However, Newcastle regained the lead with 19 minutes remaining, and did so in style.

Jonas Gutierrez's left-wing cross was too high for Ba, but it fell nicely for Cisse to control with his chest before dispatching a left-foot volley high to Given's right.

James Perch drilled a long-range effort just wide and Given had to turn away another Cisse volley, but Krul managed to beat away Ciaran Clark's missile before gratefully grasping substitute Gary Gardner's point-blank header to preserve his side's lead.

The 26-year-old trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Friday morning after his return, along with leading scorer Demba Ba, from Senegal's short-lived African Cup of Nations Cup.

Pardew would not be drawn on whether or not the pair with start in tandem against Aston Villa in the Premier League this weekend, but he is confident his big-money January signing from Freiburg will make an impact once he does get his chance.

Asked what Cisse will bring to the Magpies, Pardew replied: "Single-minded goalscoring.

"I don't think he is going to hesitate to shoot, so whether he starts or whether he comes off the bench on Sunday, you are going to see a directness from him."

Cisse's arrival has been eagerly-anticipated since he put pen to paper during a whirlwind visit to Tyneside before heading off on international duty.

Even his new team-mates were eager to see what he could do when they got their first chance on Friday morning.

Pardew said: "Not all the boys did the full session, but they all stayed around and wanted to have a nose and see how he got on. I think he impressed one or two.

"The two guys coming in certainly will have buoyed everybody, and I know there will be a fantastic atmosphere at our place.

"Whether Cisse starts, whether Demba starts or whether they come off the bench, they are going to have an impact of some type, and I am looking forward to it.

"It's going to be a great day for us, hopefully."

Ba's 15 goals to date since his own arrival in the north-east during the northern summer mean he is almost certain to be asked to resume where he left off, but Cisse's lack of training with the squad, and the fact that Pardew's men won 2-0 at Blackburn Rovers in midweek, mean the manager faces some difficult, if pleasant, selection problems.

He said: "Everybody is pulling in the right direction here and everybody is putting a stint in, so it's great for me as the manager.

"I can almost pick any team and put them out there, and they are giving 100 percent, and that's what you want.

"I was really, really pleased at Blackburn. It was a massive game for us.

"We had a lot of key players missing, and yet we still won, so I don't care what the criticism was - we didn't control the game, we didn't do this, we didn't do that - we won 2-0."

The victory at Ewood Park took Newcastle to the lofty heights of fifth place in the table to spark talk of Europe and perhaps more fancifully, a return to UEFA Champions League football.

While Pardew knows there is a long way to go, he is enjoying his club's period among the usual suspects in the higher echelons of English football.

He said: "We have been up there all year - we haven't been past seventh for a long time, so we have been in and around it.

"But we haven't gone away, we have nagged and kept knocking on the door, and one or two teams are always going to falter in form, and we have stayed pretty steady.

"I am hoping we can end the season like we started and hopefully bring European football to the club.

"But at the moment, the focus is Aston Villa.

"We actually performed very well at Aston Villa [earlier this season] and Shay Given, one of our old legends, kept us at bay, so I am hoping he doesn't play as well this week."

Pardew will be without French midfielder Yohan Cabaye as he serves the second leg of his three-match ban after being found guilty of violent conduct.

The club's officials contacted Northumbria Police after the 30-year-old was alleged to have been targeted on the social networking site Facebook.

The comments have since been deleted.

A Magpies spokeswoman said the club would always take action against people racially abusing club players.

She said: "We have liaised with Northumbria Police and the matter is now in their hands.

"We have a zero-tolerance approach to racism and will always seek to take the strongest possible action."

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "We have received a report of racist comments made on Facebook, on which we're working closely with Newcastle United.

"Northumbria Police take all reports of racist abuse very seriously and inquiries are being conducted."

Ameobi is Newcastle's longest-serving player.

The forward, who was born in Zaria, Nigeria, made his first team debut in a home game against Chelsea in September 2000.

Cabaye had denied deliberately kicking out at Brighton defender Adam El-Abd at the Amex Stadium and contested the FA charge.

But a regulatory commission found him guilty and as well as missing his side's Premier League game at Blackburn Rovers he will also miss upcoming matches against Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.

Reacting to the verdict, Cabaye wrote on Twitter: "3 matchs ban it's a real injustice but life goes on !!! In my teammates i trust ..."

Manager Alan Pardew had been hopeful of getting the charge dismissed, claiming he had the support of El-Abd, who had initially branded the kick deliberate.

Pardew said: "I had a call from the Brighton coaching team to suggest to me that their player wants to support our player, and I have never had that.

"We never instigated it, we never asked or put a phone call in to Brighton.

"We have sent our letter in, a strong letter, and we have also, after the contact from Brighton, asked the Brighton player if he would forward a letter to us, which he has kindly done."

Pardew, who had asked to make a personal appearance at the hearing to present Cabaye's case, added: "If we had 18 cameras at every game, you would be sending two or three players off at every set play because there's contract, trust me, more intended contact than there is with Cabaye's incident.

"I really do think they need to just take a deep breath on this one, have a good look at it."

The visitor went ahead in the 12th minute when Ryan Taylor's speculative 25-yard effort took a wicked deflection off Scott Dann, but Blackburn dominated the rest of the first half, with Danny Simpson clearing off the line and Leon Best heading against his own bar before David Dunn saw his penalty saved by Tim Krul.

The second half was a quieter affair but Anthony Modeste, Scott Dann and Mauro Formica all missed good chances to earn Blackburn what would have been a deserved share of the spoils before Gabriel Obertan rubbed salt into the wound with a late second.

There was still no Christopher Samba for Blackburn, the captain having been out of the side since his transfer request was turned down, but new signing Modeste did make his full debut while Fabricio Coloccini was back for Newcastle after injury.

Blackburn had shown encouraging form of late, picking up eight points from its previous five games, but Newcastle dominated the early possession and took the lead in the 12th minute, albeit with a huge slice of luck.

A mix-up between Radosav Petrovic and Dann let in the visitor but Taylor's shot was speculative at best before it took a wicked deflection off the defender, leaving Paul Robinson helpless.

Blackburn reacted well and was almost level immediately but Gael Givet's volley from Morten Gamst Pedersen's corner was cleared off the line by Simpson and the defender poked the rebound wide.

Modeste, a loan signing from Bordeaux, then beat the offside trap but Coloccini did well to get back and block his cross, with Petrovic volleying just wide after Newcastle struggled to clear its lines.

Blackburn was certainly looking the brighter side now and Krul was nowhere near a curling Junior Hoilett shot that just missed the far post while Coloccini produced another timely block to deny Modeste.

The Argentinian was then penalised for bringing down Hoilett on the edge of the box - a decision that infuriated Newcastle, which felt the winger had dived.

Taylor was booked for confronting Hoilett in the heated aftermath but Coloccini escaped further punishment despite arguably being the last man. Pedersen could not take advantage of the situation, though, seeing his free-kick deflected wide.

Newcastle's luck continued to hold in the 38th minute as Best headed a Pedersen corner against his own crossbar while a mix-up between Krul and Mike Williamson presented Modeste with an open goal from 35 yards but he fired way over.

Blackburn at last saw something go its way two minutes before the break when referee Phil Dowd awarded a penalty after Simpson barged into Modeste. But Dunn's spot-kick was weak and easily saved by Krul, who also stopped Givet's tame follow-up.

Blackburn failed to find the same fluency after half-time and was relying mostly on long balls. Kean attempted to inject a bit more creativity by replacing Petrovic with Formica, and it created a glorious chance with 67 minutes gone.

Pedersen released Modeste with a lovely ball but the striker showed a lack of composure in rushing his shot and screwed it well wide with only Krul to beat.

It was at least a glimmer for the Blackburn fans to cheer and moments later Dann headed Pedersen's free-kick straight at Krul from close range.

Blackburn fans were celebrating with 10 minutes to go when Martin Olsson's deflected shot fell into the path of Formica, but they then realised the Argentinian had in fact fired into the side netting.

Blackburn was throwing everything at Newcastle and James Perch produced a great block to keep out a Givet shot after Krul had flapped at a corner while Modeste's well-struck volley was straight at the keeper.

But its hopes were ended in injury-time when substitute Obertan ended a quick break with the sort of clinical finish Blackburn had been so sorely lacking.

The Football Association confirmed that the French midfielder has been charged after allegedly kicking out at the Seagulls' Egyptian defender Adam El-Abd.

A statement said: "Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye has been charged with violent conduct following an incident in the FA Cup fourth round tie against Brighton Hove Albion.

"Cabaye was involved in an incident involving Brighton's Adam El-Abd during the FA Cup tie at the Amex Stadium on Saturday 28 January.

"Cabaye has until 6pm on Tuesday, January 31 2012 (local time) to respond to the charge."

The 31-year-old former Leeds United and Manchester United midfielder has made just two substitute appearances for the Magpies this season and has now joined the promotion-chasing League One club.

Newcastle confirmed in a statement that Smith would be available to make his debut when the Dons face Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning AEDT).

The loan arrangement also contains a provision for Smith to play for the Dons in the play-offs. It is currently fifth in the League One table.

The Championship Seagulls beat Sunderland in the Carling Cup earlier in the season and made it a north east double with a 1-0 fourth-round victory over the Magpies.

Poyet said: "It's a massive result.

"We have had so many great nights here at the Amex Stadium, it is hard to think we have only been here six months.

"In the next round I want to be at home. The players want to play a big team away, but I don't want a heart attack."

Will Buckley was the hero with a barnstorming run and shot for the game's only goal 15 minutes from time.

The ball eventually deflected in off Mike Williamson but the performance of Buckley, a club record £1 million ($1.48 million) signing from Watford in the northern summer, deserved a slice of luck.

"Right now Will is incredible. Everything he tries, somehow it goes in," added Poyet.

"We need to keep using him, that is why he is playing 90 minutes every game. That is why he is so important for us now.

"We made a decision in the summer to buy him, he was a big amount of money. I told him last week he has already given us the money back, so now he is in credit."

Despite his strike officially going down as an own goal, Buckley, a boyhood Toon fan, said: "I'm definitely claiming it.

"But even if they take it off me it doesn't matter, the main thing is we are in the fifth round."

Newcastle had not been to Wembley since a Poyet-inspired Chelsea beat it in the semi-final 12 years ago.

But Alan Pardew, a runner-up as a player and a manager, clearly saw the competition as a realistic chance for some silverware.

He named his strongest available line-up with only skipper Fabricio Coloccini missing after he failed to recover from a groin injury.

But its best chance fell to Leon Best, who planted a free header over the crossbar in the first half, while Albion keeper Peter Brezovan denied Shola Ameobi after the break.

And Buckley's big moment came in the 75th minute when, with a lung-busting run from his own half, he skipped past Danny Guthrie and tormented Yohan Cabaye in the area before his shot looped of Williamson and bounced over Tim Krul.

"We were unfortunate for the goal," said Pardew.

"He skipped past Danny, who had just been booked, and then it was a deflection with the only shot they had of any threat.

"I felt the attitude and commitment was good but we didn't produce a moment.

"Besty had two good chances, and their keeper did well.

"Brighton are very good at pulling teams around and moving the ball, but they did not do that tonight, they dug in and nicked a goal on the break.

"That's credit to them, but we are scratching our heads at how we haven't come back with at least a draw."

Cabaye could find himself in hot water with the FA after appearing to kick out at Adam El-Abd, leaving the Seagulls defender with a cut lip, as the pair fell to the ground.

Newcastle heads for a potentially difficult fourth-round tie at Brighton having come from behind to see off Premier League rival Blackburn in the previous round.

Pardew does so with memories of near-misses as a player with Crystal Palace and as the manager of West Ham still fresh.

Guthrie said: "The manager really likes the competition, he has always put strong teams out.

"He took West Ham to the final and nearly won it, so he does like that competition."

Pardew himself admits the FA Cup gives him a real buzz and a different challenge to the one presented weekly by the Premier League.

He said: "It does. The passion that comes around a cup game - they are those one-off occasions when anything can happen.

"There are no points to play for, it is just purely being in the hat for the next game, and that's the most important thing for us in this particular fixture, to be in the hat for the next round."

Brighton, of course, won its place in the fourth round with a penalty shoot-out victory over non-league Wrexham, a game which left Guthrie with mixed feelings.

He said: "I don't know which one is better looking at Wrexham's pitch, but Brighton are very good at home.

"I have seen them a couple of times and they are a good passing side."

The game will give Guthrie another chance to strengthen his claims on a place in Pardew's starting line-up having already proved a more than able deputy for Cheick Tiote while he is away at the African Nations Cup.

His stunning opening goal in the 5-2 Premier League defeat at Fulham was one of the positives on what proved to be a topsy-turvy afternoon, and the 24-year-old is relishing his latest opportunity to show what he can do.

He said: "It's much easier coming into a team that has been winning and got confidence, rather than coming into a team that's on a bad run. That does help.

"My aim is to pick up where I left off and give the manager a problem when he has got everyone fit and available.

"It's hard to put a finger on anything, but personally I think something has just clicked this year.

"I am more mature now, I have had a daughter in the last year - maybe that helped, I'm not sure.

"I have always been technically good, but I think I know how to play the game now a bit more, I know football a bit more and I am a bit more wise."

The United States international was named his country's player of the year on Friday and showed why with a superb second-half performance at Craven Cottage.

Having managed just one shot in an appalling first-half performance, Fulham deservedly fell behind to a superb Danny Guthrie long-range drive as half-time approached.

However, Martin Jol's half-time pep talk and tactical tweak proved inspired as the west London side scored four goals in a 16-minute period.

Danny Murphy and Bobby Zamora netted penalties either side of a Dempsey brace as Fulham ran the Magpies ragged.

Hatem Ben Arfa reduced the deficit with the clock winding down, although Dempsey had the final word by firing home his third.

Coming into the match, Jol spoke of making amends for last weekend's 3-1 defeat at 10-man Blackburn Rovers but his side struggled to stamp its authority during the opening exchanges.

Zamora was often isolated in attack and Alan Pardew's side dominated possession as Yohan Cabaye got an audacious effort away inside the opening minute.

David Stockdale easily gathered the effort and was not called into action again until the 13th minute when Shola Ameobi - making his 250th league appearance for the club - headed a Cabaye cross goalwards.

Newcastle was impressing by the Thames and a mazy run by Ben Arfa ended in a long-range drive the Stockdale did well to parry.

Ameobi headed wide in the 21st minute as the visitor continued to press, although Damien Duff came close to giving Fulham a surprise lead four minutes later.

The former Newcastle midfielder cut in from the left flank and got away a curling shot that Tim Krul did well to clutch to his chest.

That aside, though, the Cottagers were looking sloppy, which was epitomised by Philippe Senderos almost heading a Leon Best chip into his own net after ignoring calls from goalkeeper Stockdale.

Fulham was backing off the visitor and almost paid the cost when skipper Fabricio Coloccini directed a right-wing cross goalwards, only to be denied by Stockdale.

Fulham's difficult opening period got worse when Steve Sidwell - one of Fulham's better players - limped off in the 37th minute to be replaced by Andrew Johnson, forcing Jol to alter his tactics.

The substitute partnered Zamora in attack as the home side moved to a 4-4-2 formation, although it could not stop Newcastle dominating.

After Stockdale tipped wide a rasping Ameobi effort, the England squad member could do nothing to stop a superb 25-yard strike by Guthrie as half-time approached.

Jol made his second alteration of the afternoon at half-time, replacing Bryan Ruiz with Chris Baird.

The change saw Fulham become a more coherent unit and one which earned a penalty six minutes into the second period when Duff was brought down inside the box.

Perpetrator Davide Santon avoided a second booking of the afternoon, but saw Murphy send Krul the wrong way and slot home the resulting penalty.

With Baird shutting down the dangerous-looking Cabaye and the new-look attack working well, the Cottagers were now in the ascendancy.

Only last-ditch defending stopped the home side taking the lead from an outswinging Murphy corner in the 56th minute.

First Krul reacted marvellously to stop Zamora netting from close range on the turn, before Baird saw his follow-up deflected over.

Fulham continued to press and, after neat interplay between Johnson and Zamora, Krul parried the latter's shot across goal and Dempsey bundled home at the far post.

Baird fired a 35-yard effort over as the Cottagers pressed for a third, which came in the 65th minute.

Again neat interplay between Fulham's strikers started the goal as Johnson laid off to Zamora and he played through Dempsey, who showed composure to fire across Krul.

Fulham netted a fourth three minutes later when Johnson shrugged off a rough challenge by Mike Williamson before being hauled down by Krul, who received a booking and was then beaten from the spot by Zamora.

Ameobi thought he had reduced the deficit almost immediately with a low shot, although he was rightly adjudged offside.

Fulham sat back as the game wore on, allowing Jonas Gutierrez to fire a long-range effort straight at Stockdale.

Newcastle did, though, pull a goal back five minutes from time as Ben Arfa jinked past John Arne Riise to fire home, although Dempsey soon ended any hopes with his hat-trick goal.

The Texan burst through the middle to latch onto a Zamora chipped pass and fire past Krul.

Shearer himself took on the mantle of the likes of Jackie Milburn and Malcolm MacDonald when he stepped into their shoes after making his high-profile switch from Blackburn in 1996.

In a glittering decade, he contributed 206 goals to the Magpies' cause, and he has some simple advice for former Freiburg frontman Cisse as he prepares to take over the shirt left vacant by Andy Carroll and launch the latest phase of his career on Tyneside.

Shearer told The Times: "It's one of the most iconic shirts in football, certainly in this country, and I'm delighted somebody has come in and is going to wear it.

"I hope Cisse enjoys the experience as much as I did. It's a privilege and some great names have been there before.

"I can understand why it was kept empty when Andy left.

"There are expectations, but the biggest is a simple one – that you score goals. That's what comes with the shirt.

"I have heard people say that it can be a heavy shirt, but I think there's a responsibility.

"Newcastle is a big club with a terrific crowd and if you work hard, fans will take to you. The most important thing is that Cisse wants to wear it. That's encouraging."

Northumbria Police said Peter Copeland, 29, from West Rainton, Durham, is due to appear before Sunderland Magistrates Court on Monday, 6 February.

A police spokesman said Copeland had been charged with two offences in connection with the Malicious Communications Act.

The abuse, posted as the Magpies prepared to unveil their new signing, Senegalese striker Papiss Demba Cisse, is alleged to have focused on the number of black players the club has in its squad.

The 26-year-old Cisse has joined for an undisclosed fee but will not be available to the Premier League team while Senegal is competing in the Africa Cup on Nations, which starts on Sunday (AEDT).

Cisse, who has scored nine goals in 13 appearances for his country, says "it is an honour to play for such a big club and I am looking forward to it."

Cisse will bolster a forward line that already includes Senegal teammate Demba Ba, who is the Premier League's second-highest scorer this season with 15 goals, and Ireland international Leon Best.

Newcastle is sixth in the league, four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

The Republic of Ireland striker took his tally for the campaign to four with a neat finish eight minutes before the break to win a fiercely-contested game.

QPR had more than enough chances to get something out of the contest after creating a host of chances which were either squandered or repelled by goalkeeper Tim Krul on an afternoon when the Magpies turned in an unconvincing performance against the 18th-placed visitor.

However, Alan Pardew's men, who lost key midfielder Yohan Cabaye to a worrying ankle injury in the first half, just about did enough to emerge with the points after claiming a fourth win in five games in all competitions in front of a crowd of 49,865.

Hughes arrived on Tyneside having inherited a side which had not won in nine games in all competitions and had taken just two of the last 24 points on offer, and faced the task of overcoming a team which had comprehensively beaten champion Manchester United last time out.

However, the early signs were positive, even without suspended skipper and former Magpie Joey Barton, the injured Alejandro Faurlin and African Cup of Nations absentees Armand Traore and Adel Taarabt.

QPR enjoyed much the better of the opening stages with Krul saving from Heidar Helguson and Akos Buzsaky inside the opening six minutes.

Newcastle was unable to get out of its own half and with wide men Shaun Wright-Phillips and Jamie Mackie forcing a series of errors from fullbacks Danny Simpson and Davide Santon, Krul's goal came under repeated threat.

Indeed, Wright-Phillips clipped the crossbar after capitalising on a 16th-minute mistake by Simpson to leave the home fans less than impressed.

However, the flow of the game was to change as the game reached the 20-minute mark, and it did so as Cabaye, whose central midfield partnership with Cheick Tiote has been one of the features of the Magpies' season to date, left the field on a stretcher with what looked like a nasty ankle injury after an uncompromising challenge by Shaun Derry.

Even as Pardew urged Hatem Ben Arfa to hurry up on the sidelines to replace his compatriot, the 10 men responded to finally pin the visitor back.

Ben Arfa, whose stunning strike last weekend revived the Magpies' FA Cup campaign, eventually emerged from the dugout to warm applause, although Krul was sent sprawling across his line when Jay Bothroyd curled a 33rd-minute effort just wide.

But Ryan Taylor forced a fingertip save from Paddy Kenny seconds later as the home side belatedly built up a head of steam.

It made the pressure tell eight minutes before the break in impressive style.

Jonas Gutierrez set off towards the penalty area to feed striker Shola Ameobi, who laid the ball off to Taylor.

The midfielder managed to stab a pass out to Best before the covering tackle arrived and the frontman stepped inside fullback Luke Young before side-footing calmly into the far corner to end a four-month wait for a goal.

Hughes' men left the field at the break having given a decent account of themselves, but with Clint Hill and Bothroyd having joined Derry in referee Chris Foy's notebook as a physical approach took its toll.

But they resumed in promising fashion with Wright-Phillips testing Krul from distance within two minutes after Bothroyd had headed down Hill's long ball to him.

They could have been back on terms twice within as many minutes with Bothroyd blasting wastefully over from Helguson's knockdown and then forcing a solid save from Krul after being played in by Mackie.

However, Santon might have extended the home side's lead had it not been for a fine 55th-minute block by Young after the fullback had carved his way into the box from the left.

Newcastle was disjointed but it almost wrapped up the points with 17 minutes remaining when Ben Arfa slid the ball into Best's path. However, when he squared towards Ameobi, Hill just managed to get a touch to deny the striker a simple finish.

Press Association Sport understands there has been contact between the two clubs over the 18-year-old midfielder, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

No talks over a new deal have so far taken place and should no offer materialise, he would be able to leave the club on a free transfer, although United would be entitled to compensation.

However, it is understood the Magpies' interest is yet to go any further than that initial enquiry.

Wythenshawe-born Morrison has three senior United appearances to his name, all of them in the Carling Cup.

But while hugely talented, he has had his problems off the field and last season pleaded guilty to two charges of witness intimidation.

Reports suggested the £35 million ($52.03 million) club record signing's former club Newcastle United was preparing a cheeky cut-price bid to take the England international back to his native north east.

The Magpies have played down the speculation and Press Association Sport understands there has been no contact between the two clubs.

Caroll's representatives have also insisted they have neither been told to look for, nor are seeking, a move for their player.

Dalglish was dismissive when asked about whether the rumours could unsettle the striker, who has scored four goals this season but has yet to find his best form since his transfer to Merseyside almost 12 months ago.

"I am worried about the people that invent them," he said.

"You have absolutely no foundation whatsoever (for the stories).

"I don't need to justify what is in the paper. I have stood up - and always will stand up - for the players."

Turning the argument around on journalists at his post-match press conference after the 1-0 Carling Cup semi-final first leg win over Manchester City, Dalglish added: "You justify your profession and you justify the story."

The 19-year-old limped off during a reserve team victory over Wigan Athletic and could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

A club spokesman said: "Sammy Ameobi will be sidelined for a period of time, likely to be a number of months, as a result of an injury sustained in the reserves' win over Wigan."

The England Under-21 international, the younger brother of Magpies striker Shola, left the field during the second half of a 3-1 victory over the Latics with initial reports suggesting he had damaged a knee.

Ameobi has emerged as a promising member of the first team squad this season, and has made 13 appearances, 12 of them from the bench.

He scored his first - and to date, only - senior goal for the club in a 2-1 Carling Cup second-round victory at Scunthorpe United on 25 August, and made his full Premier League debut at Manchester City on 19 November.

News of his injury will come as a huge blow to manager Alan Pardew, who already has defender Steven Taylor and midfielder Sylvain Marveaux on the long-term injured list.

However, with Hatem Ben Arfa now back fit and Danny Guthrie approaching a return, he at least has some positive news.

Reports suggested that the Magpies could offer their former frontman a £10 million ($15 million) escape from Liverpool after a desperately difficult first 12 months on Merseyside.

However, sources in the north-east have insisted there has been no contact between the two clubs despite weeks of speculation that Carroll could return to Newcastle, where he made his name before winning a £35 million switch to Anfield.

In addition, the word from the Carroll camp is that they have not been told that the Reds are looking to offload the 23-year-old England international, and they themselves are certainly not seeking an exit for him.

Newcastle, of course, had no intention of selling their 6ft 3in hitman in January last year until Liverpool put together a final-day offer they simply could not afford to ignore.

Their decision was greeted furiously by the Toon Army, who had hoped the club's future would be built around the Gateshead-born player, and their mood was not improved when a replacement failed to arrive.

The Magpies made the recruitment of a big-name striker their main priority for the summer, but having spent months running the rule over a series of targets on the continent, were unable to strike a deal which suited them.

The 50-year-old was dismayed to read stories suggesting Tottenham Hotspur could be ready to activate a release-clause in the Senegal international's contract this month after a stunning 15-goal start to his Magpies' career.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was asked about the 26-year-old, and his reply sparked a frenzy of rumours.

However, asked about the matter, a terse Pardew said: "I thought, listening to the conversation, that the media tripped him up a little bit, Harry.

"You don't want to end up talking about other players in the transfer window and I am sure he probably regrets that a little bit.

"He's a Newcastle player, he has been brilliant for us and that's all I want to say, really."

Newcastle, despite its anger at the stories, remains relatively relaxed over the issue and understandably has no desire to sell Ba, although Pardew knows from painful experience that all players have their price after losing Andy Carroll to Liverpool 12 months ago.

Ba did not figure in his side's 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in the third round of the FA Cup as he prepares to leave for the African Cup of Nations.

His form has left Newcastle braced for bids, not only for Ba but also for the likes of Cote d'Ivoire midfielder Cheick Tiote, but with the club on its firmest financial footing for some time, it has no pressing need to sell and if anyone is to leave, the manager is determined it will only be in return for the kind of eye-watering fee which persuaded it to cash in on Carroll.

Tiote was handed a new six-and-a-half year contract after impressing during his fist six months with the club last season, and it would be no surprise if the board attempted to tie up Ba's future - his current deal runs until the northern summer of 2014 - in another pre-emptive strike.

Pardew's comments came after his side's dramatic 2-1 FA Cup third-round victory over Blackburn, and he was not the only manager having to fend off interest in his players.

Blackburn counterpart Steve Kean issued a hands-off message to Queens Park Rangers after its unsuccessful bid for defender Chris Samba, who was not part of his side's squad to face Newcastle.

He said: "The situation is simple. Before any bid came in, we said he is not for sale.

"We had already made a decision that he was having treatment on an ankle injury and a bit of a tight hamstring, so that was the reason why he didn't travel. It was nothing to do with the bid.

"He's our player and we want to keep him at the club. I felt as tough he was getting a good partnership with Scott Dann before Scott got a nasty injury, and we want to add to the squad, we don't want to break it up.

"He's not for sale. He is seven or eight months into a five-year contract, and he is certainly a defender we feel has a presence in both boxes.

"He's held us together at a time when most of our defenders have been out injured, and he's a big part of what we are going to try to do in the future, so we certainly want to keep him."

Kean was equally unequivocal when asked about suggestions that frontman Ayegbeni Yakubu too could be a target for other clubs.

He said: "The message is simple: the Yak is our player and he is performing very well.

"We got him in in the last transfer window at the very last minute and he has been fantastic for us.

"He is not for sale. He is very happy. He is carrying a couple of little knocks, so we just wanted to rest him today to make sure he is fighting fit for when we play Fulham next."

The Senegal international, who will now head off on African Nations Cup duty to leave a huge hole in the Magpies' armoury, gave central defenders Phil Jones and Rio Ferdinand a torrid time to inspire the home side to its first victory over the Red Devils in more than a decade.

Free transfer Ba's 33rd-minute volley, his 15th goal of the season, set Newcastle on its way to a 3-0 win and underlined just what Pardew will be missing for the next few weeks.

The manager said: "His biggest asset is his personality. He's a winner.

"Whatever role I have given him, he has tried to do that to the best of his ability - he has played in two or three roles for me.

"His all-round play has been excellent and tonight, he was a leader for the team and put in a performance to match that.

"When you compare him to other players, it's difficult because really, he hasn't had that long a time here in the Premier League.

"But this year, you would have to put him in the top four or five, for sure."

Ba's first-time strike as he ran on to Shola Ameobi's flick-on handed the home side a half-time lead which it doubled within two minutes of the re-start through Yohan Cabaye's stunning free-kick.

United, who had Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney back in the starting line-up, attempted to respond, but barring a remarkable goal-line clearance by Danny Simpson which prevented Rooney from reducing the deficit, rarely looked like dragging itself back into the contest.

The Magpies completed the job, or at least teenage United defender Phil Jones did when he headed keeper Tim Krul's 89th-minute free-kick past Anders Lindegaard to leave the locals in raptures.

Pardew, whose mind was already turning to Saturday's FA Cup third-round clash with Blackburn, said: "The players deserve a lot of plaudits tonight because they have put in some fantastic performances.

"You could highlight one or two that were exceptional, but as the team manager, I am just proud of all of them.

"My job is to make sure we don't get too carried away with that pat on the back because we have got a game in two days' time which is very important to us."

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was left to reflect upon a poor evening for his team, but he was philosophical despite witnessing back-to-back league defeats for the first time in 10 months.

He told Sky Sports: "We don't normally have that. The one plus for me was we had two or three players back tonight and hopefully that's them on the road back.

"That will make a difference."

The Magpies ensured that arch-rival Manchester City remains three points clear at the top of the Premier League by beating the champion 3-0 on Tyneside as the run of surprise results for the main contenders over the holiday period continued.

However, Ferguson was taking a measured approach when asked about the impact of a potentially costly defeat.

He told Sky Sports: "It's not a time to panic or anything like that. We have got the experience to cope with that.

"Losing a game at this time of the year, you don't want it, but it sometimes can happen - you have seen some of the results recently.

"But obviously, we need to get the show on the road in terms of the run-in, particularly in March and April."

Even with Wayne Rooney back from his exile and Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs also restored to the starting line-up, United was able to make little impression on a Newcastle side looking for just its second win in nine league games.

Striker Demba Ba, who was little short of unplayable in his last game for the club before heading off to the African Cup of Nations with Senegal, blasted the home side ahead with a delicious 33rd-minute volley - his 15th goal of the season.

With Cote d'Ivoire midfielder Cheick Tiote, who will also be on duty in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, determined to sign off in style, the home side was good value for its half-time lead, and there was further cause for celebration within two minutes of the restart.

Phil Jones, who had been beaten in the air by Shola Ameobi in the lead-up to the opening goal, barged Ba to the ground 30 yards out and then could only look on in horror as Yohan Cabaye curled a superb free-kick home off the underside of the bar.

Ferguson said: "It was a marvellous hit on the volley, and the second one just after half-time was the killer for us. It was a marvellous strike from the free-kick.

"But we didn't make enough of our possession of the ball anyway. It was one of those nights."

Jones' misery was complete in the final minute of the game when he could only bundle goalkeeper Tim Krul's long free-kick into his own net having wrong-footed keeper Anders Lindegaard.

Magpies boss Alan Pardew, whose side played with the Virgin Money logo on its shirt for the first time after announcing a new sponsorship earlier in the day, was thrilled with the display.

He admitted the loss of Ba and Tiote will be huge, but remains confident his squad has what it will take to maintain the fight for the seventh position it currently occupies.

Asked if Ba in particular is irreplaceable, he said: "You could argue that, but we thought that about Andy Carroll last year and we didn't do too badly without him.

"I am not going to hide away from the fact that Cheick and Demba tonight were probably the two outstanding players on the pitch for us.

"They were going away - whether that was part of an extra motivation for them and the champions were here ...

"We are going to miss them - I can't hide from that. But what a way to go out.

"We will look forward to seeing them in six games' time or whenever it is."

The free signing plundered his 15th goal of the season in what seems certain to be his final appearance for the Magpies before heading off on African Cup of Nations duty with Senegal to set United on the way to its first back-to-back league defeats for 10 months.

Frenchman Yohan Cabaye sealed a first victory over Sir Alex Ferguson's men in more than 10 years with a stunning 47th-minute free-kick with Phil Jones' late own goal simply cementing its seventh place in the table.

Even Wayne Rooney's return from his exile could not spark United into life as Newcastle added to the pain inflicted on his side by lowly Blackburn Rovers at the weekend in front of a delighted crowd of 52,299.

Goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard, who has repeatedly warned he had not joined United simply to 'pick his nose', was handed a start in place of David de Gea, unlike Magpies midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, who was named only among the substitutes despite declaring roughly the same sentiment in the run-up to the game.

Pardew sent out his side having seen it win just one of its last eight league games and knowing the challenge of improving on that run could hardly be much more difficult against a wounded United.

However, his players set about their task with a real relish and while they were forced to defend in determined fashion throughout, they did so more than competently with skipper Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson in particularly miserly form.

In addition, they produced enough of an attacking threat not only to keep the champion on its toes, but to take a lead they rarely looked like relinquishing.

Indeed, Pardew's men, having survived an early scare when Coloccini just managed to cut out Ryan Giggs' attempted throughball to Dimitar Berbatov in the opening minute, took the game to the visitor in the early stages.

Ba was uncharacteristically wasteful when he failed to make a meaningful connection with Danny Simpson's teasing fourth-minute cross, and Cabaye tested Lindegaard's mettle with a shot from distance two minutes later.

The Dane also had to deal with Cheick Tiote's skidding long-range drive, although as United worked its way into the game, it was it which started to threaten.

Tim Krul had to make a smart reaction save from Nani's 12th-minute snapshot, and the keeper managed to claim the rebound before the predatory Rooney was able to pounce.

Berbatov clipped the outside of the post with a deflected header three minutes later, but Newcastle was not content to sit back and defend.

It had been awarded and converted a contentious penalty in the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in November, and it was appealing for another with 25 minutes gone, this time in vain, after Ba went down in a tangle of legs with Rio Ferdinand, the man whose challenge on Ben Arfa had been ruled illegal on home turf.

But the former West Ham United frontman got his chance 12 minutes before the break, and as so often this season, took it in spectacular fashion.

Shola Ameobi climbed high above Jones to flick on Krul's long free-kick and Ba swivelled instantly to smash a right-foot volley high past the stranded Lindegaard.

Ryan Taylor curled a 44th-minute free-kick just over after Tiote had left Rooney for dead with a neat trick and Ba prompted Giggs to foul him 30 yards out.

Lindegaard also had to deal with a nastily dipping Ba effort from distance in injury-time with the Magpies sensing an opportunity.

Jones' first season at Old Trafford has been largely exemplary, but the youngster's difficult evening on Tyneside took a further turn for the worse within seconds of the restart.

He barged Ba to the ground 30 yards out as the striker threatened to run away from him, and Cabaye curled the resulting free-kick in off the underside of the crossbar with Lindegaard once again helpless.

Central defender Williamson headed a 55th-minute Taylor corner just over with the Magpies pinning the visitor back to thwart its efforts to launch a recovery.

United would have been back in it within four minutes had it not been for old boy Danny Simpson, who somehow managed to block Rooney's point-blank volley from a Nani cross.

The visitor was enjoying its best spell of the game as Newcastle's defending became increasingly desperate.

But with no sign of a breakthrough, Rooney made way for midfielder Anderson with 15 minutes remaining, although United's efforts became increasingly toothless with the home side simply needing to maintain concentration.

That it did, and Jones' miserable evening was complete in the final minute of normal time when he headed Krul's deep free-kick into his own net.

Manager Alan Pardew has confirmed that the 36-year-old, who had a spell at Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this season, is wanted by the Tigers, but that no deal has yet been agreed.

Pardew said: "There has been a little bit of contact about Harps to Hull.

"We are looking at that and Harps is considering whether that's a possibility for him to get some games."

Dutchman Tim Krul has established himself as Newcastle's first-choice goalkeeper, to leave Harper, who spent many seasons as Shay Given's deputy on Tyneside, starved of action once again.

He has not made a senior appearance for the club this season and has found himself competing with northern summer signing Rob Elliot for a seat on the bench.

Pardew insisted there has been no contact with any club over midfielder Alan Smith amid reports he is wanted by Ipswich Town.

The 31-year-old, who joined Newcastle from Manchester United in August 2007, is out of contract at the end of the season.

Another for Steven Gerrard on only his second appearance after two months out with an ankle infection ensured the Reds' struggles at home were banished.

Kenny Dalglish's side had drawn four of the last five at Anfield, where it has dropped 12 points so far this season, and for an hour it appeared that run would continue.

However, Bellamy - who had scored in the first half to cancel out Daniel Agger's own goal - curled home a free-kick and Gerrard made sure of victory with an angled shot.

It was the first time Liverpool had scored three goals in a match since the August 27 win over Bolton.

The night was supposed to be all about Carroll, who was given the role of main striker in the absence of the suspended Luis Suarez, but the big centre-forward again came up short.

Playing as a lone front man he struggled for support, especially in the first half, and was often found out of position as he chased the ball.

His best chance came in the latter stages of the match when he crashed a header against the crossbar from close range.

But, fortunately for Carroll, Bellamy's eye for goal was a lot sharper to ensure Liverpool - undoubtedly helped by a 31-minute cameo from Gerrard - came from behind to win a match which looked like a struggle at times.

The story of Liverpool's six home draws this season has been one of failing to take chances and the first one created in the 15th minute was a typical example.

Former Magpies left-back Jose Enrique drilled a cross through the six-yard area but Stewart Downing was moving away from goal rather than towards it and the ball rolled to safety.

Charlie Adam fired a 35-yard shot over while Downing drew Tim Krul into a save low at his left-hand post.

Newcastle took the lead in odd circumstances in the 25th minute.

Haris Vuckic was walking towards the bench having been hit in the face by Glen Johnson's clearance but Newcastle played on and when Ryan Taylor swung in a cross from the left the ball just missed Yohan Cabaye only for Agger to inadvertently divert it past Jose Reina under pressure from Demba Ba.

However, within four minutes Liverpool was level through Bellamy.

Cheick Tiote made a poor attempt at clearing Adam's cut-back from the right of the penalty area and Bellamy drive through a crowd of players from 16 yards.

The home side picked up the tempo and Downing's volley was blocked by Jonas Gutierrez while Martin Skrtel flashed a header just wide of the far post from Bellamy's corner.

Early in the second half Cabaye was lucky to escape punishment after catching Jay Spearing halfway up his shin with a late tackle.

Gerrard replaced Adam just before the hour and the captain's first involvement was to whip in a near-post cross which almost picked out Carroll.

When the England midfielder did find the unmarked striker in five yards of space in the penalty area the £35million signing's first touch let him down badly.

Carroll played a decoy role in Liverpool's second goal but the decisive move came from Danny Simpson.

As Bellamy lined up a 67th-minute free-kick the Newcastle defender decided to back-track to the goalline, allowing Carroll to advance towards Krul. When the set-piece came in Simpson got in the way of his goalkeeper and the ball crept between the two of them.

However, Newcastle would have equalised three minutes later when Ba clipped a narrow-angle shot over Reina - only for Skrtel to clear just inches from the goalline.

Despite Carroll's best efforts he seemed destined not to score when his header rebounded off the crossbar.

Bellamy departed, with blood pouring from a cut above his left eye after a clash with Fabricio Coloccini, to be replaced by Dirk Kuyt for the final 16 minutes.

Not to be outdone Gerrard popped up with a trademark third goal in the 77th minute when he ran from deep to collect Henderson's through-ball and side-foot an angled shot past Krul from the left of the penalty area.

It capped an improved second-half performance and helped ease some of the frustration which had been building up at Anfield.

After its bright start Newcastle has now won one in eight and manager Alan Pardew needs to arrest the slide.

The Merseyside giant has managed just 21 goals in 18 Premier League matches so far this season and has drawn (seven) nearly as many matches as it has won (eight).

Liverpool's plight was summed up when even bottom of the table Blackburn Rovers managed a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Boxing Day in a match The Reds dominated.

Striker Andy Carroll, signed for STG35 million ($A53.92 million) in January, was in the spotlight again after missing several chances against Blackburn and the forward, who has managed just four goals for Liverpool, is bound to be in the spotlight again when his team faces his former club Newcastle at Anfield on Friday (Saturday AEDT).

"If you want to be really positive you could say we are undefeated at home but we've said before we don't want to set our standards that low," said Dalglish.

"We want to be winning our home games as often as we possibly can and we've certainly given ourselves opportunities to have won every home game.

"We haven't done that but we will keep going and we believe we will do.

"I am sure confidence plays a huge part in everything that you do so there will be some people more confident in front of goal than others.

"But there is nothing a goal for any individual - and the team - wouldn't help," the former Liverpool and Scotland forward added.

"They have been really strong so far in the fact they have got in there and continue to do so.

"The other night there were 27 chances, which is massive. We'll keep plugging away there. We just need the Kop to blow one in for us or the goalkeeper to throw one in."

Despite all its dropped points, Liverpool is still only one win away from fourth-placed Chelsea but Anfield is no longer as intimidating as it was in Dalglish's heyday and in Demba Ba, Carroll's replacement, Newcastle has an in-form striker.

The Senegal international, set to leave on Africa Cup of Nations duty next month, took his goal tally for the season to 14 in the 2-0 win over Bolton on Boxing Day which ended Newcastle's six-game wait for a league win following an impressive start to the campaign.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who began his reign as Magpies boss with a 3-1 win at home to Liverpool - a match in which Carroll scored for the north-east side - just over a year ago, has been delighted by Ba.

"He's just one of those players who has everything, really, as a striker," said Pardew, whose side is just a point behind Liverpool.

"There's not much to his game that he hasn't got, and that stands you in good stead," he added. "When any chance comes your way, you are going to have a good armoury to get a goal."

Pardew reluctantly sold the 22-year-old to the Reds, who host the Magpies on Friday evening (Saturday morning AEDT), on the final day of the last January transfer window when owner Mike Ashley decided a bid of $53.66 million was simply too good to turn down.

That came as a huge blow to the manager, who had seen the Gateshead-born frontman take to Premier League football with a commendable relish under predecessor Chris Hughton and provide the spearhead for Newcastle on its return to the top flight.

Almost 12 months on, Carroll's lack of form and that of the man he replaced at Anfield, Chelsea's Fernando Torres, is the subject of an intense debate with the combined $130.29 million which was paid for them looking ever more expensive, especially with Demba Ba, the northern summer free transfer who has since taken over from Carroll on Tyneside, having already plundered 14 goals this season.

However, Pardew, like Liverpool counterpart Kenny Dalglish, remains convinced Carroll will prove his worth sooner rather than later.

He said: "He hasn't really had a run in that Liverpool side and like all strikers, he probably needs a run.

"He's a great lad and a great player. I like Andy.

"It was disappointing to see him left out of the England squad the last time because I think he can be an England player and England's number nine.

"He is going through a period of transition at a new club, finding his feet and finding out that they play slightly differently to how we did here, but he will find his way."

The Carroll deal was struck so late in the day that the Magpies were unable to invest any of their windfall during the remaining hours of the winter window, and there was fury on Tyneside when, despite months of planning, the big-money buy failed to materialise during the northern summer either.

Ba's form since has gone some of the way towards decreasing the urgency to plug the gap, although his impending departure for the African Cup of Nations - Pardew is hoping to hold on to him until 15 January - means there will be a short-term vacancy.

The manager said: "We accepted that was going to happen. We knew when we signed him that the African Nations Cup was coming up, so we will just get on with it.

"But it will be a loss because he is in great form, of course."

Pardew had hoped to have a ready-made replacement in the shape of Sochaux's Modibo Maiga, although he has finally confirmed reports that the proposed £6 million ($9.2 million) deal has broken down after a medical earlier this month.

In addition, he revealed that the club is unlikely to look for another frontman during January and will concentrate instead on finding a central defender in the wake of Steven Taylor being sidelined for the remainder of the campaign with an Achilles injury.

Pardew said: "As far as we are concerned, we will go with what we have got. It was just unfortunate, and unfortunate for the player.

"You can imagine the player is probably more disappointed than anybody else, but these things happen and we will have to do a lot of work now between now and the summer to locate another striker.

"You have to pay over the odds in this window, everybody does, and you have to accept that if you are going to invest in this window, and we won't in terms of a striker.

"We need to bring in a defender."

Pardew's comments came as Montpellier owner Louis Nicollin said Newcastle was 'too small' for Olivier Giroud, a striker with whom it has been linked in recent days.

Pardew will also hope to fend off interest in midfielder Cheick Tiote having warned potential purchasers that only a 'silly' bid would be considered, and that he will not be doing business at the death again.

He said: "We are on our guard, like most Premier League clubs are, that your best players might be looked at, but as I have said all along, anybody coming out of here is going to be for a lot of money."

The 25-year-old Cote d'Ivoire international has been linked with Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks, and manager Alan Pardew is bracing himself for a bid when the transfer window opens on 1 January having warned potential purchasers they will have to pay a lot of money to prise the former FC Twente enforcer out of his hands.

However, Tiote has vowed simply to concentrate on his football as the speculation mounts.

He told the Evening Chronicle: "People can say whatever they want to say about me, but I'm a professional footballer and I play for Newcastle.

"I'm not thinking of leaving in January - I'm very happy playing for this club.

"That's my job and I need to work hard for the team and the club. I have to focus on my job for Newcastle - that's what I have to do."

Those words may prove some comfort to Pardew, who knows any decision might not be his to make if an acceptable offer was forthcoming.

He spent most of last January insisting striker Andy Carroll was not for sale, only to see him head through the exit door for Liverpool after the Reds tabled a monster $53.63 million bid on the final day of the window.

Giroud, who has scored 13 times this season, has caught the attention in his side's surge to second in Ligue 1 at the winter break.

Newcastle, which has signed several players from France in the last 18 months, had been linked with a move for the 25-year-old.

It is no longer in the market for a striker in January but Nicollin suggested it was never an option.

Although he could not rule out selling to a club like the Gunners, the presence of Robin van Persie and a sizeable asking price point toward the player staying.

"Newcastle? They are too small for him," he told television station RTL.

"Arsenal? You would have to see if Arsene Wenger is interested but, as before, there is Van Persie.

"And at 10 million euros? No. Given that he still has more than two years of contract, it will cost more.

"He has a contract until 2014, [so] 50 or 60 million euros at least."

Meanwhile, Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has revealed the club will not attempt to sign a striker in January after confirming the collapse of Modibo Maiga's proposed move to Tyneside.

The Sochaux frontman was expected to complete a $9.24 million transfer but the deal broke down before Christmas after a medical revealed uncertainty over one of his knees.

Ba has lit up the English Premier League with 14 goals this season but will leave Magpies manager Alan Pardew with a headache when he hooks up with his national side for the continental tournament that runs from January 21 to February 12.

Pardew hopes he can hold on to Ba until January 15, when his side plays QPR in the league.

Ba is one of several impressive attacking options at Senegal coach Amara Traore's disposal, with Lille's Moussa Sow, the top scorer in Ligue 1 last season with 25 goals, Freiburg's Papiss Demba Cisse and FC Copenhagen's Dame N'Doye all highly rated.

QPR's Armand Traore, Wigan's Mohamed Diame and Guirane N'Daw of Birmingham are the other English-based players in the 23-man squad for the tournament in Guinea and Gabon.

Senegal faces Guinea, Zambia and Libya in Group A.

Senegal squad: Khadim Ndiaye (Linguere), Bouna Coundoul (Unattached), Pape Latyr Ndiaye (Ouakam); Kader Mangane (Rennes), Souleymane Diawara (Marseille), Lamine Sane (Bordeaux), Jacques Faty (Sivasspor), Moustapha Bayal Sall (St Etienne), Pape Malickou Diakhate (Granada), Cheikh Mbengue (Toulouse), Armand Traore (QPR), Omar Daf (Brest); Remi Gomis (Valenciennes), Mohamed Diame (Wigan), Guirane N'Daw (Birmingham), Ndiaye Deme Ndiaye (Arles); Issiar Dia (Fenerbahce), Moussa Sow (Lille), Papiss Demba Cisse (Freiburg), Souleymane Camara (Montpellier), Mamadou Niang (Al Sadd), Demba Ba (Newcastle), Dame N'Doye (FC Copenhagen).

The Frenchman provided Toon fans with a tantalising glimpse of what they thought was to come when he crashed in one of the goals of the season against Everton in September 2010.

But two games later Ben Arfa suffered a broken leg in a tackle by Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong and did not play again for almost a year.

He is still working his way back to top form and has had to make do with substitute appearances for most of the season.

He began the Boxing Day trip to Bolton on the bench but eight minutes after his introduction in the 61st minute he expertly volleyed in Ryan Taylor's cutback, and two minutes later Demba Ba's 14th goal of the season sealed a 2-0 victory.

It was Newcastle's first win in seven Barclays Premier League games, and boss Pardew said: "We know our strengths and we played to those. We didn't give Bolton many opportunities, the team was tight.

"There wasn't a lot of space for Bolton to play in and in that environment we can create chances because we're good technically with (Yohan) Cabaye, Hatem, Demba Ba, (Leon) Best.

"In the first half I thought we rushed a couple of things but in the second half we took a little bit more time, we created the moment and it was nice to see (Ben Arfa) score because he had a terrible injury and it's been a long road for him.

"I think he'd consider himself more than an impact player but the role he is in at the minute, as he's building himself back, he's a big player.

"He has a high regard for his own ability, and it's important to have a player like that in your squad. He feels he can change it and he managed to do that, and it's good for us."

Bolton boss Owen Coyle had hoped his struggling side could build on its big win over Blackburn last week but instead was left to reflect on an eighth loss from nine home games.

Most frustratingly for Coyle, Bolton played a part in its own downfall with mistakes in the build-up to both goals.

The Scot said: "We've given it away cheaply, but when that happens and you're 1-0 down with 20 minutes left, you're looking for a bit of character, and we had that from a few, but not enough.

"One or two were fragile, maybe lacking confidence, but there should be no need for that coming off a win the other night and the performance, but then within two minutes they get the second, and to say it was an unforced error, it was ridiculous."

The Trotters ended a run of five straight losses with victory at Blackburn in midweek to climb off the bottom of the table but it could not follow that up as it slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle.

After a poor first half, the game was settled inside three minutes midway through the second as Hatem Ben Arfa opened the scoring in the 69th minute and Demba Ba swiftly added his 14th goal of the season.

Coyle's anger was fuelled by mistakes in the build-up to both goals, with Chris Eagles giving the ball away for the first and Paul Robinson for the second.

The Scot said: "I thought in the first 15 minutes Newcastle started better but then we really grew into the game, finished the first half really strongly and looked as if we could go in front, and then started the second half in the same manner.

"Until the first goal Newcastle had offered no threat in the second half and we looked like we could go on to win the game but then we've given the ball away under no pressure. Soft is probably an understatement.

"Take nothing away from the cutback and the finish, that was exquisite. Newcastle have been doing that all season because they've got terrific offensive players who can hurt you, but prior to that the threat was minimal.

"We've given it away cheaply, but when that happens and you're 1-0 down with 20 minutes left, you're looking for a bit of character, and we had that from a few but not enough.

"One or two were fragile, maybe lacking confidence, but there should be no need for that coming off a win the other night and the performance.

"But then within two minutes they get the second and to say it was an unforced error, it was ridiculous. It was a horrible mistake. (Gabriel) Obertan then raids down the right, Demba Ba gets a touch, Gary (Cahill's) gone to block it and it's spun up into the top corner, which probably sums up our little bit of bad luck."

Newcastle went into the game having picked up only two points from six games, and the first half showcased two teams struggling for form, with the only chances coming from one free-kick apiece.

Bolton looked livelier at the start of the second half and Martin Petrov lashed a shot just wide before the deadlock was broken in the 69th minute as Newcastle seized on Eagles' error and Ryan Taylor crossed for Ben Arfa to volley in expertly.

It was the Frenchman's first goal in more than a year, much of which he has spent battling back from a broken leg, and things rapidly got worse for Bolton as Robinson inexplicably gave the ball away and Obertan crossed for Ba to clip home.

Toon boss Alan Pardew was delighted to put their bad run, and especially last weekend's home defeat by West Brom, behind them, and felt the return of defender Mike Williamson after four months out with an ankle injury was key.

"We put ourselves under pressure with the West Brom result so it was important today that we gave a more disciplined performance and I think we did that," said Pardew.

"We felt from the last two games that four points would have been really pleasing. We didn't manage to get anything against West Brom but we got three very valuable ones today.

"In the Premier League you don't want to create pressure for yourselves by having a winless run like we were on. We felt certain things didn't really go for us in that period but we had round pegs in round holes today.

"Williamson made a big difference to us because he's a natural centre-half. As much as Bolton threw at us, him and (Fabricio) Coloccini had the answers."

The Magpies will travel to Bolton on Boxing Day looking for its first victory since it beat Everton 2-1 on Tyneside on November 5.

After a fine start to the campaign, which saw it go 11 league games without defeat, Pardew's men found itself firmly established in the top four to send expectation through the roof.

But despite their more recent run of form, the 50-year-old insists he and his players deserve to enjoy the festivities, briefly at least.

He said: "Yes I will because you couldn't fault the players - 17 games, 27 points is more than we could have hoped for at the start of the season.

"But by halfway, if we could get 30 points - that's still a realistic target and it's something we hope to do."

Inevitably because of Newcastle's blistering start, the euphoria which greeted the early victories has given way to melancholia as tough fixtures against Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea which yielded a single point, have been followed by the same return from eminently more winnable fixtures at Norwich and at home to Swansea and West Brom.

The loss of in-from central defender Steven Taylor for the remainder of the season with an Achilles injury represents a major blow, and fitness problems for Cheick Tiote and Fabricio Coloccini, as well as disciplinary bans for Jonas Gutierrez, Yohan Cabaye and Dan Gosling in recent weeks, have also taken their toll.

However, with Tiote and Coloccini back in harness for home clashes with Swansea and the Baggies, Pardew was banking on more than one point from a possible six, and that is a source of disappointment.

He said: "You are just disappointed. We got ourselves into a great position and we had two games where you would expect to win.

"I just feel we have kind of let an opportunity slip - but that doesn't mean to say the next opportunity isn't around the corner, which it is in football, fortunately.

"We have Bolton and we have got to try to put it right there.

"The pressure we are under is going to be generated because of the results we have had.

"We have to accept that and we have to be big enough and bold enough to turn it around."

The Magpies' slump has led many to suggest their early-season bubble has burst, and they have gone into freefall.

Pardew, who took over from Chris Hughton in December last year with his only remit to keep the promoted club in the top flight, bristled at the suggestion.

Asked if he would have settled for seventh place at Christmas back in August, he said: "Absolutely, yes.

"We are still seventh in the division. We have 'freefallen' into seventh."

Newcastle encountered West Brom on the back of a good away win at crisis club Blackburn, and its next opponent piled the pressure on Rovers boss Steve Kean on Tuesday evening with a 2-1 victory at Ewood Park.

Pardew said: "That's been the sort of run we are on. We played West Brom and they got a late winner. Now we are playing Bolton on the back of their first win for a while.

"That just happens in the Premier League, you have these periods where you hit teams in form and you feel like things are going against you.

"But we have got to be mentally strong and if we just do what we do and we do it well, then we should win this game."

Midfielder Cabaye will return from his one-match ban, but the knee injury full-back Davide Santon picked up against the Baggies is being assessed.

The Austria international snatched victory five minutes from time as a five-goal thriller went the way of the visitor.

Roy Hodgson's men took the lead on three occasions as Peter Odemwingie and Gareth McAuley with his first goal for the club struck before the break.

However, on both occasions, Demba Ba dragged Newcastle back into it, firstly with a fiercely-struck free-kick and then with a close-range 81st-minute finish.

However, the Baggies refused to accept a point and Scharner made the most of a poor defensive display to claim a victory that leaves the Magpies with just two points from the past 18 they have contested.

Games between the two sides over the past two seasons have been close with three of the past four league encounters in the Championship and Premier League ending all square.

The last of them came on the final day of last season when the Baggies fought their way back from a 3-0 half-time deficit to claim a point which cost the Magpies a top-10 finish.

But if Alan Pardew's side was forewarned, it failed to take heed and found itself trailing at the break after an eventful first 45 minutes.

It fell behind with 20 minutes gone when attack turned to desperate defence within seconds.

Cheick Tiote's pass was cut out by Nicky Shorey, who fed the hugely-impressive Chris Brunt and watched as he produced a superb defence-splitting pass to put Odemwingie in behind Fabricio Coloccini.

The striker controlled deftly before firing confidently past goalkeeper Tim Krul off the foot of the post to silence the home fans among a crowd of 51,060.

Ba thought he had levelled within two minutes when he drilled home from Leon Best's knock-down, but an offside flag ruined his celebrations.

But in the event, West Brom's lead lasted just 14 minutes and was cancelled out in equally spectacular style.

Gabriel Obertan embarked on a rare foray in-field from the right wing and went down under Jerome Thomas' clumsy challenge 20 yards out.

Ba stepped up to take charge of the resulting free-kick and there was an inevitability about what would follow as he curled the ball high to Ben Foster's left with the keeper unable to deny the Senegal international despite getting a hand to the ball.

Newcastle, which had wobbled alarmingly in the wake of Odemwingie's strike, attempted to capitalise on its equaliser, but it was caught again with a minute of the half remaining.

Brunt, who proved a threat throughout, floated a free-kick to the far post, where Scharner was allowed to helped it back across goal for McAuley to score from close range.

Midfielder Haris Vuckic, starting his first Premier League game, thumped an injury-time drive against the bar with Foster beaten, and the visitor survived to go in ahead at the break.

Ryan Taylor replaced young Italian left-back Davide Santon before the restart, and his side resumed with a flurry.

Obertan saw an early effort deflected wide by McAuley, and Ba curled a 49th-minute shot past the far post after cutting inside from the left.

However, the game might have been over four minutes later when Youssouf Mulumbu once again carved Newcastle open to put Shane Long in on goal.

The Republic of Ireland international seemed certain to score as he rounded Krul with ease, but his shot from a tight angle came back off the crossbar to let the home side off the hook.

Foster got down well to claim Best's curling 54th-minute effort, and the striker's evening ended seven minutes later when he was replaced by Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa.

Shola Ameobi soon followed as Obertan, who had volleyed over seconds earlier, made way, but Brunt caused concern for Krul when he curled just wide from distance with 73 minutes played.

But after Krul had saved from Long, it was Ba who dragged the Magpies back into the game, converting Ben Arfa's 81st-minute pass with relish.

Vuckic might have won it with a dipping long-range effort which Foster had to turn over, but the Magpies were caught once again at the death when Scharner stabbed the ball past the helpless Krul from Odemwingie's header.