Magpies delight in first win for Keegan

Newcastle 2 Fulham 0

Goals from Mark Viduka and Michael Owen presented Kevin Keegan with his first win since his return to Newcastle as the Magpies eased their relegation fears today.

At the 10th time of asking, Keegan finally had the taste of victory to savour with his side ending their 13-game wait for a Barclays Premier League success.

Viduka struck with just six minutes gone to claim his sixth, and undeniably most important, goal of the season to extend Fulham's wait for an away league win to 32 games.

On an afternoon when the result was always more important than the performance, the Magpies were just about value for the points, although the result remained in the melting pot until Owen calmed the nerves with an 83rd-minute header.

The performance was at times disjointed, but few who witnessed it could fault either the effort or the commitment of Keegan's players, who have been through the mill in recent months, but now appear to have begun to believe again.

For the home fans among a crowd of 52,293, there was a rare opportunity to celebrate, while the travelling supporters high in the stand behind Steve Harper's goal as the final whistle sounded headed off on the long journey south knowing their club's plight had worsened significantly.

Keegan had reverted to type at Birmingham on Monday evening when he adopted a bold 4-3-3 formation and returned from the midlands with a valuable point as his reward.

It was little surprise, then, that he opted for the same system and the same personnel for a game his side simply had to win, and as he headed down the tunnel at the break, the ploy had worked on the face of it with the Magpies leading 1-0 and knowing they should perhaps have been even further ahead.

However, that did not tell the full story of a 45 minutes which demonstrated the best and much of the worst of Newcastle this season.

With Viduka, Owen and Obafemi Martins forming a dangerous frontline, the home side were always a threat in attack and, but for two superb saves from Kasey Keller who just about got his fingertips to blistering strikes from Martins and Owen, they could have been out of sight.

Despite the best efforts of Nicky Butt, Joey Barton and Geremi behind them, Keegan's men were overrun in midfield as Jimmy Bullard orchestrated play for the visitors.

Full-backs Jose Enrique and Habib Beye were repeatedly exposed by the lack of cover ahead of them and it was only a combination of desperate defence, good goalkeeping and poor finishing which saved the Magpies.

They had got their noses in front after just six minutes when Viduka turned on Geremi's pass to fire a left-footed shot into the bottom corner to relieve the tension.

The Australian then headed horribly wide after 19 minutes, but Martins would have hit the target four minutes later had Keller not dived full length to turn his shot away.

The goalkeeper was equally agile with 29 minutes gone to deny Owen from 25 yards, and then had to palm away the striker's close-range header after deflected off one of his own men.

Abdoulaye Faye sent an overhead kick across the face of goal, but Owen really should have made it 2-0 nine minutes before the break, only to head Geremi's cross straight at Keller.

In the meantime, Harper had to make a smart save to keep out Bullard's 34th-minute shot after it dipped nastily in front of him, and the Magpies were grateful for the half-time whistle when it arrived with Fulham making a genuine push.

The second half began in much the same fashion with the visitors seeing plenty of the ball, but the home side looking the more threatening.

Viduka saw a 49th-minute header blocked at point-blank range after Owen and Barton had combined to open up the Londoners, and Martins fired just over six minutes later after a pacy run towards goal.

Barton, enjoying one of his better days in the black and white shirt, went for goal himself with 58 minutes gone, hammering a right-footed shot just wide from 25 yards as the Magpies began to build up a head of steam.

Martins had the ball in the net eight minutes later, although from an offside position, and the roar from those who had not spotted the flag spoke volumes about tension levels inside St James' Park.

Geremi almost embarrassed Keller with a 76th-minute shot after the ball ricocheted to him as Owen became involved in a goalmouth scramble, but the second goal simply would not come.

With seven minutes remaining, Owen timed his run to perfection to meet Geremi's free-kick and glance home a deft header to spark mass celebrations.