Mark Viduka finished off Reading

Newcastle 3-0 Reading

NEWCASTLE UNITED cruised to a superb win over Reading today at St James’s Park as the Magpies recorded their third win in a row under Kevin Keegan.

The win all but secured United's Premier League status too as the black and whites moved to 38 points and 12 points clear of relegation haunted Bolton Wanderers.

Keegan feels United are just about safe now and when asked if Newcastle were safe, he said tonight: "I would have thought so.

"But mathematically you could still say we may be caught.

"But looking at the fixtures and when you look at who plays who, yes, I think so.

"I don't think we played as well as we can but we still could have scored five or six goals against Reading."

Toon executive director Dennis Wise was on Tyneside to see the emphatic win and interestingly was joined by former Magpie Alan Thompson who was one of his players with Leeds.

United defender Steven Taylor failed a fitness test ahead of the game following a bout of food poisoning.

That meant Canadian Under-20 skipper David Edgar, who has performed excellently in the reserves this season, slotted in for Taylor at the heart of defence with Newcastle otherwise unchanged from the team that started against Spurs.

In an open start to the game both sides flew forward in the opening 10 minutes without creating any clear-cut chances.

Yet one did arrive on 18 minutes and Oba Martins made no mistake in taking it to open the scores.

Nicky Butt clipped a long ball into Nigerian’s path before Martins jinked past Liam Rosenior and Andre Bikey to calmly slot past Marcus Hahnemann.

Reading hit back with a shot from Kalifa Cisse but his long range pop flashed the wrong side of Steve Harper’s upright with 21 minutes played.

Dave Kitson tested Steve Harper again four minutes later but the Easington-born stopper was equal to it.

Newcastle then had a great chance with eight minutes left of the half as Joey Barton crossed from the left before Owen stabbed it high and wide to the disbelief of the home crowd.

But Owen did get his strike before the interval after a great move for Newcastle.

Beye’s delicate chip into the box saw Owen peel off his marker and gently lift it over US star Hahnemann inside the six yard box for 2-0.

United were in total control for the first 10 minutes of the second period and were almost playing keep ball at one point with Reading desperate to get back into it.

And three minutes before the break Mark Viduka made it 3-0 after another flowing move which had St James’s Park on their feet.

Habib Beye made a great run down the right and rolled it into the Aussie’s path before he smashed it home from the edge of the six-yard box.

Toon fans erupted after the third goal and were singing: “Are you watching Big fat Sam” with the Magpies playing some scintillating football compared to the dark days of Allardyce’s hit and hope tactics earlier in the season.

And even as the rain lashed down in the last quarter it was obvious that Toon fans were loving the Keegan factor with their side spraying the ball around at will.

It could have been four for Newcastle with 11 minutes left but after sub Damien Duff crossed for Geremi the African wildly struck it high and wide.

Keegan handed a debut to Lamine Diatta with seven minutes to go as he replaced his fellow countryman Abdoulaye Faye.

Enrique, Barton, Duff and Martins could have added to the tally late on with Reading just waiting for the final whistle

Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan:
"Michael Owen is a very clever player. Obafemi Martins is different to everyone else and has great composure while Mark Viduka scored after some great play.

"They've deserved it because they give the middle three a reason to work hard and make the back four defend better. We have a nice little combination now.

"You'd like to think that we're at the start of something that can be very good again."

Reading boss Steve Coppell:
"Each game now takes on critical proportions. But with five games we still control our destiny.

"Until you get 40 points every manager feels uncomfortable and now we need to make sure we are here last season.

"I thought we placed some promising football but we did not really have that cutting edge."

Newcastle: Harper, Beye, Faye (Diatta 82), Edgar, Jose Enrique, Geremi, Butt (Smith 79), Barton, Martins, Owen, Viduka (Duff 74).
Subs Not Used: Forster, Carroll.

Goals: Martins 18, Owen 43, Viduka 58.

Reading: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Ingimarsson, Bikey, Shorey, Oster (Convey 60), Harper, Cisse (Fae 72), Hunt, Kitson (Long 72), Doyle.
Subs Not Used: Federici, Duberry.

Booked: Bikey.

Att: 52,179

Ref: Lee Probert (Wiltshire).