Newcastle United are up to ninth in the Premier League after recording a 2-0 triumph at Birmingham City on Tuesday.
Magpies move up to ninth thanks to clinical front-men
Newcastle United are up to ninth in the Premier League after recording a 2-0 triumph at Birmingham City on Tuesday night.
The Magpies became only the fifth club to win at St Andrews since Blues returned to the top-flight last season thanks to goals from strike-duo Peter Lovenkrands and Leon Best.
Lovenkrands gave the visitors the perfect start with a clinical finish after two minutes and Best sealed the points five minutes after the re-start with a towering header.
Blues failed to make to use one of their games in hand to their advantage and remain 14th on goal-difference, three points above the relegation zone.
Birmingham enjoyed more than a fair share of the possession but lacked a cutting edge as they suffered their first defeat in six games.
Newcastle had picked up only two points from three games since Carroll's £35million departure to Liverpool on the final day of the January transfer window.
But they looked the more threatening in the West Midlands with Jose Enrique surging forward from left-back to good effect.
They were well marshalled in midfield from skipper Kevin Nolan and were a constant threat on the counter-attack.
Nikola Zigic, who had scored in the previous three games, posed the biggest threat for the home side, when he managed to stay onside.
Dream start
Newcastle got off to a dream start in the rain-swept conditions with Lovenkrands putting them ahead after only two minutes. Enrique's original cross was cleared after he had skipped past Sebastian Larsson but Jonas Gutierrez pounced on the loose ball and delivered a testing low centre to the near post.
Lovenkrands was first to react and he slid in front of Roger Johnson and drilled his shot past Ben Foster for his fourth goal of the campaign.
Blues looked shaky and more good play by Enrique found skipper Nolan inside the box but he did not extend Foster.
Former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins showed good skill to get past Mike Williamson but Steve Harper was alert to the situation.
Birmingham were now in the ascendancy possession-wise and Johnson headed just wide from Larsson's free-kick
Then Harper did well to turn aside Zigic's shot on the turn from inside the box after good play by Barry Ferguson.
Nolan became the first player to be yellow carded for bringing down David Bentley in full flight after 36 minutes.
Midfielder Craig Gardner came close to equalising five minutes before the interval. The midfielder hammered a 20-yard drive just wide after being teed up by Larsson who cut into the box before pulling the ball back.
Caught cold again
Newcastle doubled their lead four minutes into the second half through Best's fifth goal of the season as Birmingham were again caught cold.
Gutierrez delivered a left-wing cross to the far post and Best got above the normally-dependable Johnson to head home.
Barton was yellow-carded for a challenge on Liam Ridgewell before Larsson made a crucial challenge to deny Best a second goal after good play by Cheik Tiote and Lovenkrands.
Magpies boss Alan Pardew brought on Nile Ranger for the limping Lovenkrands after 65 minutes and then Johnson was well wide with an acrobatic effort while at the other end Foster gathered a rising drive from Tiote.
Zigic had a great chance to reduce the arrears but headed over from Ridgewell's pinpoint cross when unmarked and Johnson forced Harper to save his low header from Bentley's centre before substitute Cameron Jerome miskicked inside the box when well placed.
Birmingham seldom threatened to salvage anything tangible from the game, despite five minutes of added time as Newcastle closed out to secure their fifth away win of the season, two more than leaders Manchester United.
