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Southampton 4-0 Newcastle: Pellè and Co. Embarrass Pardew

A Pellè brace and brilliant goals from Cork and Schneiderlin made The Toon look silly.

Jack Cork wheels away from Krul in celebration after his goal.
Jack Cork wheels away from Krul in celebration after his goal.
Mike Hewitt

Southampton never looked like losing in a dominant 4-0 performance against Newcastle. From the very first minute, Saints harried and A Pellè brace and brilliant goals from Cork and Schneiderlin made Newcastle look silly in a 4-0 win at home.

The match was Toby Alderweireld's Southampton debut, arriving on loan from Atletico Madrid and looking comfortable in a similar red-and-white-striped shirt. Florin Gardos also debuted as a substitute, fresh off his signing from Steaua Bucharest.

Southampton fought right from the opening whistle, with Shane Long earning two early chances one-on-one with Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul. Long successfully closed Krul down in the opening minute, only to have the ball ricochet harmlessly just right of goal.

Moments later, Krul bowled over Long in the penalty area while coming out to punch, in what looked a clear penalty, but referee Chris Foy waved away the protests.

However, Koeman's boys wouldn't have to wait too long to earn the lead, as Ryan Bertrand lofted a ball into the air to meet Pellè's forehead on six minutes. 1-0 Southampton.

Pellè struck again in the 19th minute, this time with his right foot following a one-two with Tadic.

At halftime, Southampton and Newcastle fans alike celebrated the arrival of Saints legend Francis Benali, who had just completed a 1,000 mile run in three weeks to raise over £100,000 for Cancer Research UK.

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The second half resumed with yet more Southampton pressure, eventually resulting in a goal by Jack Cork in the 54th minute. Cork ran onto an errant back-pass and dribbled around Krul before calmly tapping the ball into the net.

At this point, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew was forced to wait and cringe as both sets of fans sang "You're Getting Sacked in the Morning" and "Pardew Out" banners began to appear in the Newcastle supporters' section.

But Pardew's misery would be compounded once more in the last minute, as Morgan Schneiderlin curled a beautiful shot past Krul to make the final scoreline 4-0.

For all the talk of a meltdown at the beginning of the season, Southampton have embarrassed their Premier League opponents for two match weeks running, and the offense seems to be linking up better with each passing fixture.