Carr gets Souness off to flier

A 2-1 win at St Mary's - Newcastle's first League success in Southampton for 32 years - finally ended a barren away run that stretched back to a 3-2 win at Fulham last October. But, perhaps more importantly, it handed Souness the perfect domestic start to his United career.

Former England boss Graham Taylor once suggested it was better to be a lucky boss than a good one and, for the moment at least, Souness certainly seems to have fortune on his side.

For the second Premiership game in a row, Newcastle were handed the lead courtesy of an own goal as David Prutton turned Alan Shearer's low drive into his own net.

Southampton levelled through Swede Anders Svensson, but Souness was able to look on incredulously as Stephen Carr unleashed a 30-yard screamer that scorched into the top corner of Antti Niemi's net.

It was the kind of goal that comes once a season but, while Souness cannot have planned for such an eventuality, his boldness merited such a result.

Robson had shied away from naming all three of his frontline strikers in the same team.

But after watching Patrick Kluivert single-handedly dismantle the Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin defence on Thursday night, Souness kept faith in his Dutch international and grasped the nettle.

The Newcastle boss had hinted at a return for both Shearer and Craig Bellamy in the wake of Thursday's 2-0 win but, while the Newcastle boss kept his word, the duo did not return at Kluivert's expense.

The former Barcelona striker was handed his second Premiership start after scoring both goals in United's UEFA Cup win, with Bellamy switched to an unorthodox role on the right of midfield.

And, during a lively 90 minutes, the attacking trio combined to drive the Magpies to a third successive victory as they start to turn their season around.

Laurent Robert was the victim of Souness' tinkering - dropped to the bench despite laying on both of Kluivert's goals just three days earlier - with Jermaine Jenas providing English energy rather than French flair as he successfully shackled Fabrice Fernandes on the left flank.

Kieron Dyer famously refused to play on the opposite wing prior to the opening day visit to Middlesbrough, but Bellamy was more accommodating yesterday with his pace adding an extra vibrancy to Newcastle's early attacking play.

It helped that he was up against Graeme Le Saux - hardly the quickest of full-backs as he approaches his 36th year - and United's determination to seek out their newly-discovered Welsh winger suggested his targeting of the former Chelsea full-back was no co-incidence.

His crossing didn't always match his ability to get into threatening situations, but it will be a surprise if Souness doesn't persist with the ploy when West Bromwich Albion visit Tyneside next weekend.

Bellamy's ninth-minute surge to the touchline underlined his threat and, while Andreas Jakobsson cut out his pull-back to Lee Bowyer, the Saints had been alerted to his attacking potential.

They will already have known about Shearer's striking pedigree after the United skipper began his career with 43 goals from 158 games in a Southampton shirt.

But that still didn't stop the home side leaving him all alone in the heart of penalty area as Bowyer floated over a 17th-minute corner from the right flank.

Shearer was as surprised as anyone at the lack of a challenge, but his shock could not excuse a free header that crept wide of the left-hand post.

A goal at that stage would have been a just reward for an impressive Newcastle start but, after riding their luck in their own penalty area, Southampton gradually entered the game as an attacking force. Shay Given saved well from Fernandes' low drive, before Andy O'Brien weighed in with a perfectly-timed challenge to rob former United transfer target James Beattie as he steadied himself to shoot from 12 yards.

With Bowyer and Nicky Butt marshalling the centre of midfield, Newcastle looked a far more competitive unit than they did on many of their travels last term.

On the stroke of half-time, they finally turned their territorial advantage into a deserved lead.

Kluivert failed to reach Bellamy's low cross from the left, but when Shearer drilled the ball back across the face of goal, Prutton turned it into his own net.

Newcastle's number nine wheeled away in trademark fashion but, while the Premier League's dubious goals committee will have the final say, it will the most dubious decision of all if the strike is not credited to the Saints midfielder.

Not that Newcastle need any help in terms of misjudgments - a point underlined by Southampton's 53rd-minute leveller.

With United's defence pushing out, nobody followed Svensson as he latched onto Prutton's deflected strike and the Swede steadied himself before drilling past an exposed Given from eight yards.

Parity was an unexpected turn of events given Newcastle's general dominance, but they were back in front within three minutes and, unlike their first goal, there was no doubt about the scorer of their second.

Carr was more than 30 yards from goal when Jenas rolled a quick free-kick into his path.

Without breaking stride, the former Spurs full-back produced a venomous drive that arrowed into the top corner of the net.

You might as well make your first goal for your new club a good one, and Carr's wonderful strike will figure in every goal of the season poll come May.

Shearer almost extended Newcastle's lead with a header that thudded into Niemi's arms. But with the home side refusing to throw in the towel, Souness was subjected to the kind of fraught finale that goes with the territory of being a Newcastle boss.

The visitors' box was bombarded with crosses and corners as Southampton threw beanpole Peter Crouch into the fray but, while the Magpies crumbled under lesser pressure on more than one occasion last season, O'Brien and the rejuvenated Robbie Elliott summoned up enough resolve to secure a long-awaited away win.

Result: Southampton 1 Newcastle United 2.

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