West Brom 2 Newcastle Utd 3: Full Time Report

Feb 7 2009

Newcastle overcame the enforced absence of manager Joe Kinnear as an inspired display from Damien Duff helped them to achieve their first win in seven Barclays Premier League games.

Chris Hughton was in charge of the Magpies after Kinnear had been taken to hospital this morning as a "precautionary measure" after feeling unwell at the team hotel.

But goals from Duff, Peter Lovenkrands and Steve Taylor helped lift some of the gloom surrounding Newcastle and sent bottom placed Albion hurtling closer to the relegation trapdoor.

Duff was a constant threat with his pace and trickery while veteran Nicky Butt and new signing Ryan Taylor also made important contributions.

But Newcastle would be the first to acknowledge they were helped by some appalling defending by the home side.

Centre-backs Leon Barnett and Abdoulaye Meite were all at sea and completely lacking in understanding while goalkeeper Scott Carson hardly inspired confidence.

On loan Marc Antoine-Fortune netted a brace for the home side, who dominated the second period territorially.

But this was a game they could not afford to lose and they will have to tighten up drastically in the final third of the season to have any hope of moving out of the bottom three.

The Magpies handed a debut to midfielder Ryan Taylor following his move from Wigan and handed a first start to Lovenkrands after two substitute appearances.

Newcastle got off to a dream start by taking the lead through