Pardew sets sights higher

Newcastle 4 Southampton 2

The Magpies hauled themselves into 14th place in the table as a result of a 4-2 victory over Southampton at St James’ Park, their third league win in four attempts.

Pardew later revealed he had told his players they would need to rediscover the form which propelled them into the European places last season if they were to address their concerns ahead of the first game in that sequence, a 2-1 win at struggling Aston Villa, and he has been delighted with their response since.