Goals:

1-0: Schar (24, allowed to run and run from just inside his own half on the right before sliding and curling a lovely left foot finish inside the far corner)

2-0: Schar (63, helped Lascelles’ flick on from Ritchie’s corner in off his knee from close range)

3-0: Perez (90, arrived on cue to finish off a counter-attack and Rondon’s low cross)

Bookings: Camarasa (47, deliberate handball)

Referee: Stuart Attwell (Nuneaton) – had a poor game, getting plenty wrong to annoy both teams. 4

Attendance: 49,864

Entertainment: **

Newc Card

Shots on 6 1

Shots off 10 8

Corners 7 10

Offsides 3 2

Fouls 11 6

NEWCASTLE UNITED (3-4-2-1):

5 Dubravka: Didn’t have an awful lot to do on an afternoon when Newcastle looked comfortable for the majority of the game;

8 SCHAR: Strong in defence but also the match-winner in attack with a fine solo strike and a close-range second

7 Lascelles: Did what was asked of him at the back and got an assist to go with it. There were no signs of the hamstring injury that forced him off at Blackburn

6 Lejeune: Hasn’t taken long to get back to the sort of steely form that impressed Magpies fans before injury;

5 Yedlin: Didn’t influence the game as much as he would have liked in an attacking sense, even if he did recover from a dodgy start

6 Hayden: Neat and tidy in the middle despite everyone knowing that he is unsettled off the pitch this month and would rather return south if Benitez would let him

7 Longstaff: Another impressive display in the middle in which he rarely gave the ball away and is showing exactly why he is not being allowed to leave on loan

6 Ritchie: Got into plenty good positions down the left without being able to send over the deliveries he would have liked to;

7 Perez: Had a real tussle with Bennett and edged that before then arriving late on to turn in Rondon’s cross to cap a fine win for Newcastle

6 Atsu: Lively performance and has cemented that role in recent weeks ahead of others. He could do with with scoring more often;

7 Rondon: Had to be strong and compete throughout with Bamba and Ecuele-Manga and did, plus provided the fine cross after a strong run to tee up Perez’s third

Subs:

Manquillo (for Ritchie 84)

(not used): Woodman (gk), Sterry, Clark, Roberts, Murphy, Joselu.

CARDIFF CITY (4-2-3-1): Etheridge 4; PELTIER 6, Ecuele-Manga 5, Bamba 6, Bennett 6; Camarasa 5, Ralls 6; Mendez-Laing 5 (Murphy 82), Paterson 4 (Ward 89), Hoilett 4; Niasse 4 (Decordova-Reid 64, 5). Subs: Smithies (gk), Cunningham, Gunnarsson, Harris.

MAN OF THE MATCH: FABIAN Schar – if he keeps this up his standards from the last two game he might even get the club’s player of the year. He was excellent in both boxes and his opener was a goal plenty of Magpies stars of yesteryear would have beenn proud of.