Rampant Newcastle tame Wolves

Newcastle eased their relegation fears with an emphatic 4-1 win over struggling Wolves at St James' Park on Saturday.

Alan Pardew's side started the day just four points above the drop zone but goals from Kevin Nolan, Shola Ameobi, Peter Lovenkrands and Jonas Gutierrez lifted the Magpies seven points clear of danger.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake got one back for Wolves in the second half but Mick McCarthy's team slipped to 19th after a dismal defensive display.

Newcastle's second win in 10 league games will go a long way to securing their survival, while Wolves are one point adrift of safety.

The hosts threatened early on when Joey Barton floated a cross for Mike Williamson to send in a diving header which goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey had to palm around the post.

Newcastle took the lead in the 22nd minute as Ameobi climbed well to flick-on Danny Simpson's long ball into the path of Nolan, who stabbed past Hennessey.

Pardew's men doubled their lead in the final minute of the half when Ameobi climbed to power a header home from Lovenkrands' cross.

Hennessey made a good save after Ameobi had forced his way to the goal-line and squared for Barton, and then the woodwork came to Wolves' rescue when Lovenkrands had rounded the keeper, but shot against the upright from a tight angle.

The third goal arrived in the 50th minute when Fabricio Coloccini was allowed to run out of defence and find Barton down the right, whose low cross gave Lovenkrands the chance to notch his fifth goal of the season.

Wolves refused to give up and they reduced the deficit eight minutes later when Ebanks-Blake side-footed home from England winger Matthew Jarvis's pinpoint cross.

Newcastle defender James Perch came to the home side's rescue twice within seconds, first dispossessing Ebanks-Blake inside the box and then clearing his goalbound header off the line.

But Gutierrez relieved the tension when, after substitute Steven Taylor had blocked Karl Henry's shot and steamed upfield, he fed the midfielder to curl his shot past Hennessey.