Newcastle Beat 10 Man Wigan 3-0

Newcastle recorded a much needed victory in the Premier League, beating Wigan 3-0 at St James' Park.

Alan Pardew's men were on a run of four straight defeats heading into the game, but their luck turned early on.

Maynor Figueroa and Papiss Cisse came together in the box, and the referee gave a penalty.

It was a marginal decision, and to compound the visitors' misery, Figueroa was sent off. Demba Ba scored from the spot.

It was 2-0 before the break as Ba collected his second after Wigan 'keeper Ali Al-Habsi could only palm Davide Santon's shot straight into his path.

The win was wrapped up late in the second half, substitute Gael Bigirimana collecting his first for the club with a beautiful strike.

"It's been difficult for the players and staff and it was nice to get a break tonight," Pardew said.

"I think it was a penalty. When the defender is coming across the striker and he's got a goal chance the referee has got a tough decision. That gave us a great start to the game."

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez had a different view: "It became a very difficult game after 10 minutes. The penalty was a big decision and you need to be certain.

"Both players challenged for the ball. You expect our defender to be strong. To end up with a penalty and a red card is harsh."