Stoke punish destructive Magpies

Three second half goals helped Stoke rout Newcastle and push closer to Premier League safety.

Newcastle self destruct as Potters romp to 4-0 victory

Three second half goals helped Stoke rout Newcastle at the Britannia and push closer to Premier League safety. Riding high after reaching the FA Cup semi-finals last Sunday, Tony Pulis' side took the lead when Jon Walters beat Sol Campbell to Jermaine Pennant's cross at the near post to head in on 28 minutes. Newcastle then self destructed a minute after the break to hand the hosts the crucial second goal. First Kenwyne Jones pressurised Steve Harper into a poor clearance, with the striker then seizing upon the ball and passing to Matthew Etherington whose cross from the left took a slight deflection before Campbell headed the ball to Pennant tap in. Stoke were three up three minutes later when Danny Higginbotham's piledriver free-kick left Harper with no chance, although it may have taken a slight deflection off the shoulder of Cheik Tiote, who had conceded the foul. Substitute Ricardo Fuller then completed the rout in injury time after Walters flicked Asmir Begovic's clearance into his path to slot home. It was the first time the Potters had scored four goals in a Premier League and saw Pulis' side leapfrog their opponents into the top half of the table. Newcastle have taken just one point from their last three games and may now start looking over their shoulders with only a four-point buffer separating them from the relegation zone. It proved an unhappy return to the side for Campbell, in for Steven Taylor in one of three changes to the team that lost to Everton. Joey Barton was back after a thigh injury with Jonas Gutierrez stepping down while Shola Ameobi was preferred to Leon Best. Goalkeeper Begovic returned between the posts for Stoke with Thomas Sorensen back on the bench after the cup triumph.

First shot

It was Newcastle who were the first to show with Ameobi turning quickly in the fifth minute and firing a shot into the body of Begovic. Five minutes later Ameobi won a free-kick out on the left after he had been tripped by Marc Wilson. Barton delivered the ball into the area but it was easily cleared to safety. Stoke responded in the 12th minute as Wilson made a late run into the box before heading wide of the post from Pennant's corner. Then Rory Delap launched a long throw into the area in the 17th minute and Harper took no chances, punching the ball clear. It was an even game at this stage and Jose Enrique scampered forward for the visitors four minutes later but his delivery was poor and Ryan Shawcross cleared comfortably. Enrique, who had been a doubt in the lead up to the game, seemed to pick up a knock and was immediately replaced by Shane Ferguson. Stoke took the lead in the 28th minute when Walters got in front of Campbell to head home a cross from Pennant for his eighth goal of the season. However, Newcastle made a spirited response and Barton fired a free-kick narrowly over the bar. The visitors kept up the pressure and Kevin Nolan carved out a good opportunity moments later. His cross took a deflection and looped over Begovic but the keeper managed to get a hand to it and divert the ball away. Nolan was then dazed following a challenge by Walters but soon recovered. Newcastle were beginning to look dangerous as half-time approached and Ferguson got in a good header only for Begovic to be equal to it.

Crucial second

But Stoke got the crucial second goal just a minute into the second half thanks to a string of defensive errors by Newcastle. Jones forced Harper into a poor clearance and Etherington eventually swung a cross in from the left which took a deflection and Campbell back-headed it but only into the path of Pennant, who made no mistake from close range. Former England defender Campbell was left shaking his head in disbelief at making such a basic mistake. Three minutes later Stoke made it 3-0 with Newcastle again all at sea at the back. Higginbotham drove a free-kick straight through the wall and past Harper who was rooted to the spot. Alan Pardew by this point was out in his technical area with a look of bewilderment at how the game had suddenly unfolded. Newcastle hit back and Ferguson skipped past two defenders in the 66th minute but saw his effort blocked by Begovic. Campbell was then replaced by Gutierrez as Newcastle tried to get some kind of hold on the game. The visitors were determined to save face and Barton whipped in a free kick after 78 minutes and Begovic did well to turn away at the post. However Stoke were content to sit deep and let Newcastle come onto them near the end of the game. The Potters then completed a convincing victory thanks to a fourth goal from substitute Fuller in stoppage time as Pulis' side moved on to 37 points and closer to safety.

Stoke City	Team Statistics	Newcastle United
4	Goals	0
1	1st Half Goals	0
5	Shots on Target	4
2	Shots off Target	3
0	Blocked Shots	8
3	Corners	7
19	Fouls	11
5	Offsides	2
1	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
70.1	Passing Success