Newcastle United claimed their first win under Joe Kinnear and second win of the season to move up the table.
Magpies see off West Brom for crucial win
Joey Barton will once again have his name in the headlines after setting Newcastle United on their way to their first win under Joe Kinnear - and their second of the season - as West Brom were seen off at St James' Park.
The controversial midfielder fired the Magpies into the lead in the tenth minute after Shola Ameobi was pulled down by Ryan Donk.
The penalty was never in doubt - and there was an inevitability about Barton's decisive kick as he sent Scott Carson off to one side, before blasting the ball confidently down the middle.
Chances at either end followed - James Morrison being played in for West Brom by Robert Koren but failing to beat Shay Given, and Habib Beye skied a chance from seven yards for Newcastle.
But it was Newcastle that doubled their lead as Obafemi Martins marked his 24th birthday with an instinctive header from a Beye cross.
United had a two-goal lead for the first time all season but the Magpies nearly threw it away.
West Brom substitute Ishmael Miller latched onto a fabulous threaded through ball behind Fabrizio Coloccini, rounded Given with his first touch and netted with his second.
It meant a frenetic last 30 minutes to the game as Newcastle panicked and West Brom kept pushing on. But in the end, it was the Magpies who bagged the points to move out of the relegation zone and up to the dizzy heights of 15th.
Barton redemption
Barton has found himself the subject of more column inches than he might care to remember over the last 18 months or so, but had he chosen to write the script on Tuesday evening, he may have done it in this way.
The game was only nine minutes old, with the Magpies having already forced Baggies keeper Carson into a smart reaction save, when the former Manchester City midfielder slid the ball into the box for Ameobi, who tapped it past Donk and was then promptly upended by the defender.
Barton was a model of confidence as he stroked home. But if the home fans expected a procession from that point on - and if they have followed the club for any time, they would have known how unwise that was - they were soon to be corrected.
If anything, West Brom enjoyed the better of the possession as they passed the ball swiftly and accurately to leave their opponents chasing shadows at times.
But crucially, they lacked the cutting edge to really trouble the Magpies at the back, at least until their big moment arrived 10 minutes before the break. Koren expertly turned Jonathan Greening's pass into the path of Morrison to leave a flat-footed home defence in no-man's land, but as he has done so often in the past, Given came to the rescue with a fine save.
Both teams then exchanged half chances as a fine atmosphere began to bubble inside St James' Park.
Open contest
An open game continued in similar vein after the restart with Martins' pace a constant threat to the Baggies, but Iglesias Borja Valero and Greening pulling the strings at the other end.
Tony Mowbray made a significant change with 54 minutes gone when he replaced midfielder Chris Brunt with striker Miller, although the newcomer unwittingly blocked a goal-bound effort from team-mate Morrison two minutes later.
Morrison was proving a key figure as the Magpies laboured, but it was Koren who opened the door for Miller to drag his side back into the game with a smart finish.
He might have levelled within eight minutes had Given not reacted smartly when Morrison's free-kick rebounded to the striker off the defensive wall. Substitute Xisco and Duff both passed up late chances to ease the anxiety, but their side managed to hang on.
| Newcastle United |
Team Statistics |
West Bromwich Albion |
| 2 |
Goals |
1 |
| 2 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 5 |
Shots off Target |
9 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
3 |
| 7 |
Corners |
8 |
| 13 |
Fouls |
13 |
| 6 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 70.8 |
Passing Success |
80.1 |
| 17 |
Tackles |
21 |
| 76.5 |
Tackles Success |
85.7 |
| 38.3 |
Possession |
61.7 |
| 44 |
Territorial Advantage |
56 |
|
