Blackburn Vs. Newcastle, 2012 Premier League: Unconvincing Win Sees Magpies Go 5th

Newcastle United move into fifth place in the Premier League despite a worryingly inept display against Blackburn Rovers that somehow ended up being a 2-0 win. Things started well for Alan Pardew and the Magpies, with Scott Dann deflecting Ryan Taylor's speculative long-range effort into the back of the net for an own goal in the 12th minute, but from then on the hosts absolutely dominated the match, forcing Newcastle back into their own half and letting fly with an astonishing 26 shots on target.

Poor finishing, however, doomed Blackburn to defeat. They managed to miss the target with 21 attempts (Anthony Modeste was particularly poor) and had a penalty saved, leaving them to lose a game they should have breezed through. Their misery in chasing an equaliser was ended when Gabriel Obertan finished off a rare Newcastle counterattack to make it 2-0 in stoppage time. Neither team can be pleased with themselves, but the visitors were clinical when they could be, and that's what counts.