45 mins: A lovely flowing move involved Moussa Sissoko, Sammy Ameobi, Massadio Haidara and Mehdi Abeid, the latter playing in Remy Cabella on the edge of the box at the Birmingham Road end of the ground.

The Frenchman in turn fed Daryl Janmaat to deliver a first time cross that an on-the-run Ayoze Perez flicked inside the far post with his backheel. A finish that just gets better and better with each viewing. 1-0

Half time: Baggies 0 Magpies 1

62 mins: The ball was played out to Janmaat down the right and after beating Mulumbu, the Dutch defender delivered the perfect cross for Fabricio Coloccini to meet with a firm downward header past Foster before celebrating wildly with his team mates in front of the away fans. Fab! 2-0

Full time: Baggies 0 Magpies 2

Alan Irvine:

"Give Newcastle credit, we probably didn't play as well as we needed to do.

"It was a brilliant bit of finishing from Newcastle's point of view but we made some poor decisions on a positional basis.

"There were a number of players who could have made different decisions to make us a bit more solid - we were a bit ragged.

"Full marks to Newcastle they took full advantage of that but we certainly have several things to look at from that."

About recent England senior squad member Saido Berahino:

"He probably had his poorest game but people have poor games. Everybody, including myself, will probably go away asking 'Is it because of what has just happened to him during the week?'

"But of course you can have a poor game any time. I would like to think what happened during the week has given him a massive boost and maybe it didn't happen for him today for whatever reason."
 

United fans and players celebrated their fifth straight victory on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the West Midlands, as another exhilarating performance on the road deservedly brought reward.

And as well as the three points, a fourth clean sheet in five attempts for Alan Pardew's reinvigorated side confirmed that things are going in their favour at both ends of the field - resulting in a rise of ten places to eighth and League Cup progression by eliminating the current holders.

It's a staggering turnaround that few could have predicted after the miserable defeat at Stoke at the end of September and the spirit and endeavour shown by this current side is heart-warming.

Pardew looked like a dead man walking after that rotten night in the Potteries and any notion of five straight victories, including away wins at Spurs at Man City and a home victory over Liverpool was beyond the wildest of any wild dreams that we or Pardew could have had.

Is this the greatest change in fortunes that this club has seen without having to sack a manager to precipitate it? Quite possibly. But while the media seek to portray the fickleness of Toon fans in their feelings towards Pardew, in reality the wins haven't actually altered many opinions.

That clutch of wins have merely eased the pressure and while a team is winning, everyone is naturally happy. It's a results game as the cliché tells us but the perception now is that people are actually doing their incredibly well paid jobs competently. No more than that.

Fringe players like Mehdi Abeid have seized their chance this time round and shown a better attitude in cup games which has reaped its reward - unlike the shambles in previous seasons when selections in Europa and League Cup ties were treated like insults and tossed off accordingly.

We can't help wondering if the threat of ending up on loan to Rangers is also concentrating minds!

Perez scored another vital goal - his third in as many starts - to give United the lead just before half-time and a stunning header by captain Fabricio Coloccini sealed the win midway through the second half.

Both crosses were supplied by Daryl Janmaat who had an outstanding game and there were notable performances all over the pitch as a young side put in a very mature display.

Papiss Cisse and Steven Taylor were missing from the starting line-up, meaning that Paul Dummett had to deputise at centre back and Perez was given another start up front with Sammy Ameobi and Remy Cabella in support.

Abeid joined Jack Colback and Moussa Sissoko in midfield and they provided an effective trio that dominated the centre of the pitch.

A cagey opening period saw chances at a premium for both sides, Ameobi going closest for United with a dipping 25 yard effort that clipped the top of the bar as both sets of fans were clapping in tribute to Jeff Astle.

Tim Krul made a one-handed save to deny Saido Berahino but the new senior England squad member and Victor Anichebe were causing few problems for the Magpies defence.

Dummett had an early header go over the top from a Cabella cross to the far post and there were free-kicks and corners delivered into the box that worried the home side.

Dummett and Coloccini both put in some great blocks, Abeid had a couple of wild shots from the outside of the box and Youssouf Mulumbu was also off target as the break approached. By the time the players were back in the dressing room though, the crucial breakthrough had come - thanks to what may be one of the cleverest goals we'll score this season.

Albion started the second period brightly and forced a couple of corners but they were defended well and Mulumbu had another snapshot that he dragged wide. Back it went up the other end and after Cabella had forced substitute Cristian Gamboa into conceding a corner, Coloccini settled things just after the hour mark.

The team celebration in front of the away fans was euphoric and brought back memories of Alan Shearer and Michael Owen cavorting similarly in a green change kit when we won here 3-0 almost nine years to the day in 2005.

Ex-Magpies coach, Alan Irvine made a couple of changes with ex-mackem Stephane Sessegnon and Georgios Samaras coming on to bolster the Baggies' forward line.

Pardew responded by introducing both Yoan Gouffran and Mike Williamson, in place of Ameobi and the injured Coloccini.

Andre Wisdom had a great chance to get one back for the Baggies but blasted over when the ball fell to him unmarked on the left side of the box.

Minutes later, Ryan Taylor replaced Cabella but as time ticked away United looked likely to resist any home pressure and Taylor crossed for Perez who forced Foster to tip the ball over with a fine first-time volley.

Three minutes of added time were safely seen out and a noisy away end celebrated joyfully as the team came over to acknowledge another fabulous away victory.

The three points took United up to seventh - an astonishing rise from the foot of the table after the 0-4 defeat at Southampton. This later became eighth after Swansea beat Arsenal.

Now being two points off a Champions League spot really does prove that fact is often stranger than fiction but Newcastle being Newcastle, a home game against QPR, followed by trips to West Ham and Burnley could produce any combination of results.

Disaster or euphoria seem equally as likely. It's mundanity that was becoming the problem. Pardew's recent utterances show he may have grasped that now....

Niall MacKenzie