Pompey Still Giving Toon Fans Nightmares!

Newcastle's unbeaten home record was torn to shreds as Portsmouth claimed a fourth successive away victory with a stunning first-half salvo at St James' Park.

The visitors struck three times in as many minutes to establish a 3-0 lead within 11 minutes of kick-off as the Magpies capitulated in embarrassing fashion in front of a stunned crowd of 51,490.

Noe Pamarot's eighth-minute piledriver got Pompey off to the perfect start, but Harry Redknapp's men were in dreamland when first Benjani Mwaruwari and then John Utaka made the most of woeful defending to effectively seal victory with 79 minutes still to play.

Sol Campbell's 15th-minute own goal gave the home side hope, but they huffed and puffed their way through a disjointed display until Niko Kranjcar drilled a 70th-minute free-kick from an improbable angle to end their hopes.

The Magpies, who were booed off both at half-time and on the final whistle, now face a derby trip to Sunderland next weekend knowing they must improve markedly if they are to end their dreadful run of results on the road and restore pride.

Sam Allardyce had admitted in the wake of last Saturday's debacle at Reading that his side's home record was keeping them afloat and, while he acknowledged Pompey's visit to St James' Park would present them with their greatest test yet, few could have expected what was to transpire in an astonishing opening to the game.

Having made five changes to the team which under-achieved at the Madejski Stadium, the manager had hoped for a rousing start; what he got was a collapse which set new standards even for a club which has made an art form of committing defensive suicide over the years.

If Pamarot's eighth-minute opener, a 25-yard missile, was the result of individual brilliance, not to mention brute force, the contributions of Benjani and Utaka to a 3-0 scoreline with just 11 minutes gone owed much to horrific inadequacies in the Newcastle rearguard.

The ease with which the normally assured Claudio Cacapa was muscled off the ball by Benjani on nine minutes was embarrassing, and things were to get worse for the Brazilian within two minutes when he was brushed off by the powerful Utaka to leave stunned goalkeeper Steve Harper, in for the injured Shay Given, helpless.

But if defensive errors were ultimately to blame, Pompey's supremacy in the middle of the park, where Joey Barton and Nicky Butt simply could not get close to the impressive Papa Bouba Diop and Sulley Muntari in the early stages, was equally significant.

Allardyce left the comfort of the stand to head for the dug-out within seconds of the third goal, and swiftly replaced Cacapa with David Rozehnal as he looked to stem the tide and instigate a recovery.

His side's approach was far more prosaic than that of the visitors, but it paid dividends after 15 minutes when, after David James had blocked Charles N'Zogbia's shot and Michael Owen's follow-up, the ball ricocheted into the empty net off the unfortunate Campbell.

The England goalkeeper had to get down well to keep out Steven Taylor's drive at the foot of the post five minutes later, although he was rarely troubled to the same extent as the Magpies gradually worked their way back into the game.

That process was hampered after the break by a lack of accuracy with the final ball as Newcastle persisted with an, at times, too direct approach.

N'Zogbia wasted a 53rd-minute free-kick when he curled a shot high over James' bar after Butt had been felled by Sean Davis, and the Frenchman found himself operating as an emergency full-back again after 57 minutes.

Allardyce had left striker Obafemi Martins out of his starting line-up, but introduced him to the fray in place of Jose Enrique in the search for greater penetration.

But with Pompey using their share of the possession much more effectively than their hosts, chances were at a premium.

However, the openings finally started to materialise and James was forced to save from Owen and Smith in quick succession, although Harper needed to be on his toes to keep out a 68th-minute Kranjcar header.

But their hopes wilted and died with 20 minutes remaining when Kranjcar's free-kick from wide on the left by-passed Taylor and Abdoulaye Faye to wrong-foot Harper and end up in the net.

Indeed, Portsmouth might have won even more comfortably had substitute Kanu decided to shoot early after being played in 11 minutes from time, his hesitation allowing Harper to spare his defenders further wrath.

The chorus of disapproval which rang around St James' as the players trudged off told its own story and left Allardyce in little doubt as to what is expected at the Stadium of Light.

PREMIERSHIP RECORD:-

 2008/2009 Sun 14 Dec Portsmouth 0 - 3 Newcastle Utd. Premier League  
 2007/2008 Sat 12 Apr Portsmouth 0 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Premier League  
  Sat 03 Nov Newcastle Utd. 1 - 4 Portsmouth Premier League  
 2006/2007 Sat 14 Apr Portsmouth 2 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Premiership  
  Sun 26 Nov Newcastle Utd. 1 - 0 Portsmouth Premiership  
  Wed 25 Oct Newcastle Utd. 3 - 0 Portsmouth League Cup  
 2005/2006 Sat 04 Feb Newcastle Utd. 2 - 0 Portsmouth Premiership  
  Sat 01 Oct Portsmouth 0 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Premiership  
 2004/2005 Sat 19 Mar Portsmouth 1 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Premiership  
  Sat 11 Dec Newcastle Utd. 1 - 1 Portsmouth Premiership  
 2003/2004 Sun 29 Feb Portsmouth 1 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Premiership  
  Sat 25 Oct Newcastle Utd. 3 - 0 Portsmouth Premiership