Newcastle 5 - 1 Sunderland
Nolan opens the scoring with an overhead flick
By Saj Chowdhury
Kevin Nolan scored a hat-trick as Newcastle thrashed Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby at St James' Park.
Nolan opened the scoring with an overhead flick before tapping in a second from Andy Carroll's ball.
Shola Ameobi added a third from the spot after Nedum Onuoha had tripped Jonas Gutierrez before Titus Bramble was sent off for bringing down Carroll.
Ameobi then volleyed in his second and Nolan headed in his third before Darren Bent smashed in a late consolation.
And that is all it was - a consolation. Sunderland were second best, but what will hurt them more is they were a clear second best at the ground of their arch-rivals.
606: DEBATE
What did you think of Newcastle's performance?
Newcastle's formula was simple - get the ball wide and deliver into the big men.
These big men were Carroll and Ameobi, 6ft-plus players who are both good in the air and nimble on the deck.
They gave Sunderland an all-mighty workout with Nolan reaping the rewards from their good work in the first half.
The effervescent midfielder may lack pace but more than makes up for it with guile and cunning in the box.
The former Bolton man's first strike came from an Ameobi nod-down from Barton's corner. With his back to goal, Nolan flicked the ball over his head and past the reach of goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and the three defenders on the line.
His second came after good work from Ameobi who drove forward before finding Gutierrez.
The Argentine's strike was blocked but the ball fell to Carroll whose scissor-kick arrived at the feet of Nolan around the six-yard area, who calmly slotted in.
Despite carrying a two-goal lead Newcastle looked leggy at the back against a pacy Sunderland attack containing Danny Welbeck andBent, who were joined at 2-0 by Asamoah Gyan.
And early on, Welbeck did test the backline when he broke from a Newcastle corner but was brilliantly tackled by full-back Danny Simpson just as he was about to strike.
The Black Cats actually looked better after the break but by then they were 3-0 down following Ameobi's penalty before the break and Bramble's sending off.
The latter could be judged as unfortunate as card-happy Phil Dowd, who showed nine yellows and a red, was eager to give the former Magpie his marching orders after he chopped down Carroll who was approaching the area from a wide position.
Sunderland's horrific Halloween was not over, as Simpson delivered a looping ball from the right for Carroll to crash on to the bar with his head.
Ameobi was first to the loose ball and smashed in the rebound - it was a goal similar to the one Alan Shearer scored against Manchester United, when he followed up Les Ferdinand's effort.
Nolan, who looked a little bit peeved when Ameobi took the penalty, finally grabbed his hat-trick when a corner swung from the right was headed on by Ameobi and flicked in by the midfielder.
Bent scored a late goal when he volleyed in from a corner, but he celebrated his strike with barely a smile.
Chris Hughton's job as Newcastle manager was reported to be under pressure earlier in the week before the club released a statement stating they would discuss terms of a new deal with him.
After that performance, a new contract is surely a no-brainer.
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