Strike duo inspire Newcastle
Published 22:31 17/03/10 By Pa Sports
Andy Carroll and Peter Lovenkrands teamed up once again to fire Newcastle 12 points clear of third-placed Nottingham Forest in the race to the Barclays Premier League with a 3-0 win over Scunthorpe.
Carroll struck 10 minutes into either half to take his tally for the season to 14.
Lovenkrands had reached this figure earlier with his 22nd-minute effort, as relegation-threatened Scunthorpe wilted in the face of an onslaught at St James' Park.
The Magpies, who had scored 18 goals in their previous four home games, went in front with 10 minutes gone when Carroll met Danny Guthrie's corner with a thumping header to claim his 13th goal of the season.
Iron goalkeeper Joe Murphy was left cruelly exposed once again with 22 minutes gone when Wayne Routledge's defence-splitting pass put Lovenkrands in on goal and the Dane finished superbly to make it 2-0.
The goalkeeper pulled off a stunning point-blank stop to deny Lovenkrands a second five minutes later, and his goal continued to lead a charmed life as Scunthorpe somehow managed to get the to break without conceding again.
But Newcastle increased their lead in fine style with 55 minutes gone. Fabricio Coloccini picked up possession deep inside his own half and fed Guthrie, whose ball over the top allowed Carroll to race away and chip a delicate shot over the advancing Murphy.
