Magpies cruise to Reading win

Owen scores for the fourth consecutive game

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Newcastle effectively secured their Premier League survival with a convincing 3-0 victory over Reading.

Both sides played their part in an entertaining first half but Newcastle's finishing was far superior and they opened up a 2-0 lead at the break.

Obafemi Martins slotted a shot coolly past Marcus Hahnemann in the 18th minute after taking advantage of a slip from Liam Rosenior, before Michael Owen latched onto a clever chip from Habib Beye to fire home his fourth goal in as many games.

The Magpies started the second half brightly and Mark Viduka became their third striker to find the target as he tapped in on 58 minutes after more terrific work by Beye down the right.

Reading had no response as Newcastle coasted through to their third successive win to move 12 points clear of the relegation zone.

Onslaught

Reading had the better of large portions of the first half as a defence missing Steven Taylor, who was ruled out just before kick-off with a stomach bug, looked shaky in the face of a concerted onslaught from the Royals.

With John Oster and Stephen Hunt providing width and Kevin Doyle and Dave Kitson pulling their markers all over the place, the visitors threatened repeatedly without ever really testing keeper Steve Harper.

Their inability to do so was brought into sharp focus by events at the other end of the pitch where the Magpies made the most of a handful of openings with some stunning finishing.

The game was 18 minutes old when Martins, who scored a fine individual goal at Spurs, chested Nicky Butt's driven pass around the fallen Rosenior and rounded Andre Bikey before calmly slotting his ninth goal of the season past Hahnemann.

Owen perhaps should have added his name to the scoresheet eight minutes before the break when, after Viduka had dummied Joey Barton's cross, he shot just over.

No mistake

However, he made no mistake six minutes later, spinning away from his marker to meet Beye's pass and lift the ball over the advancing keeper to take his tally for the campaign to 10.

Newcastle's intention to end the game as a contest as quickly as possible was evident from the moment they returned as Keegan's men pinned the visitors back deep inside their own half.

Rosenior had to get in an important block to deny Owen his second goal of the afternoon after 48 minutes, and Hahnemann tipped away Barton's cross seconds later after he and Martins had combined down the left to open Reading up.

Owen was appealing in vain for a penalty with 57 minutes gone after he was wrestled to the ground by Ivar Ingimarsson, but he and his team-mates were celebrating once again seconds later.

Beye started a flowing move down the right that saw Viduka play him in behind the Royals defence before the full-back returned the favour, and the Australian was a model of composure as he applied the final touch.

They might have increased their lead 12 minutes from time when Martins blasted his way through the visitors' defence only to see Rosenior deflect his shot wide.

Barton twice went close as time ran down and substitute Damien Duff tested Hahnemann with a powerfully-struck shot, but three goals was more than enough to claim the points.