Souness smiling and aiming high

West Bromwich Albion 0 Newcastle United 3

Owen returned after his hamstring strain to take his tally to four goals in five games including the opener after 23 seconds of the second half after his 25 million switch from Real Madrid.

And Shearer came off the bench to notch his 197th goal for the Magpies and he is now only three short of Jackie Milburn's club record tally of 200.

It was a third win in a week for Newcastle and further eased the pressure on Souness who has always insisted results would improve when players recovered from injury.

Souness said: "There wasn't a lot in the first half hour. I thought the last part of the first half we started to control things. It was one of those situations where we didn't want half-time to come.

"We couldn't have dreamt about the start we had to the second half. We then had a difficult 10 minutes where Shay Given has had to make a great save from Robert Earnshaw. If it had gone to 1-1, it could have been a very different game.

"The momentum would have been with them but they didn't score and from that moment on we passed the ball very well and controlled things.

"There were a couple of fine goals from Michael Owen and Alan Shearer gets one as well but there are no surprises there. That's what they are about. They are as good as they get at getting goals out of nothing.

"They have done it all their lives and will continue to do it. They are top drawer. We are a fortunate club in being able to afford players like that. They decide games of football."

He added: "This was the first game since last November where I've had decisions to make about who to leave out. The team has picked itself up until this day.

"We've said all along once we got our better players on the pitch, we would have a different dimension to us. Today you saw Emre and Solano and Dyer all give us something different. They are good football players.

"Now we want to finish as high up the Premier League as possible that is the target and give the supporters something to smile about. We have an enjoyable season in the league if we get our players back."

Unhappy Albion manager Bryan Robson avoided the after-match press conference which was instead attended by club captain Darren Moore and stand-in skipper on the day, Neil Clement.

Moore, who was at fault for the first goal, launched a vigorous offence of Robson and insisted the players had to shoulder the blame.

"We felt individual mistakes cost us. I gifted Michael Owen the first goal, although it was a great finish by him, but it is an individual mistake.

"The gaffer is very disappointed because it is individual mistakes which has again cost us the game and as a defender I have to shoulder some of the responsibility for that.

"I don't think the manager has to read the riot act. I am absolutely disgusted with myself, and at the level you are playing at it's a fine line between success and failure.

"When you make mistakes like that as defenders, against the calibre of players like Alan Shearer and Michael Owen, you are going to get punished.

"We have to hold our hands up. He can work with us all week in training. Once we cross that white line it is up to the players.

"I speak on behalf of the players in saying we take the blame. It is nothing to do with the gaffer. We feel disappointed for him because that second-half display does not reflect on what the manager is all about here."

WEST BROM: Kuszczak, Scimeca, Curtis Davies, Moore, Clement, Greening (Horsfield 78), Watson, Inamoto, Carter, Kanu (Ellington 75), Earnshaw.

NEWCASTLE: Given, Ramage, Boumsong (Bramble 79), Taylor, Babayaro, Solano, Parker, Emre, N'Zogbia (Dyer 71), Owen, Ameobi (Shearer 66).

Referee: H Webb (S Yorkshire).