LIVEWIRE Lomana LuaLua provided the spark for Newcastle as Sir Bobby Robson's side hit the top of the Premiership and reached a triple milestone at St. James' Park last night.

LuaLua, who is only in the Magpies' line-up because of Craig Bellamy's lengthy knee injury lay-off, struck twice after the break to put Robson's men firmly in control.

The Democratic Republic of Congo striker's first goal was Newcastle's 100th at home to West Ham in the League.

It laid the platform for the Geordies' 50th win in the Premiership since Robson took charge nearly three years ago.

And with West Ham powerless in the face of a four-goal second-half onslaught, Shay Given had the honour of keeping Newcastle's 100th clean sheet in the Premiership.

There was a first for Alan Shearer to boot. The Magpies' skipper scored in the opening game of a Premiership season for the first time in his six years with the club.

LuaLua, however, started the ball rolling in the 61st minute. Nolberto Solano's right-wing corner was headed on by Jermaine Jenas and LuaLua swept home first time from around six yards.

Nine minutes later, Hugo Viana produced a left-wing cross for LuaLua - a boyhood Hammers fan - to crash in a header which keeper David James could only push on to the underside of the bar before it bounced in.

Shearer made it three in the 76th minute, Solano taking a return ball from LuaLua to unselfishly centre for Shearer to fire home right-footed.

And Shearer reciprocated four minutes from time, pulling the ball in from the left for Solano to finish.

Newcastle opened their Premiership game precisely as they had ended the last one on home soil - with a visit by the Hammers.

Laurent Robert, who like Shearer and LuaLua scored in the Magpies' 3-1 win over Glenn Roeder's side in April, was one of six men missing from Robson's squad because of injury.

But the Geordies' boss was still able to name the side who started the new season with a crucial 1-0 Champions' League qualifying victory against NK Zeljeznicar in Sarajevo six days ago.

West Ham were without the inspirational Paolo di Canio, plus Frederic Kanoute and Steve Lomas through injury.

Di Canio's Italian compatriot, former Middlesbrough striker Marco Branca, was a surprise face in the crowd, sitting in close proximity to England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Newcastle left-back Olivier Bernard was facing the club he was desperate to join this summer before a Premier League tribunal ruled he was still under contract to the Magpies.

Having agreed a new deal with Newcastle, the Frenchman soon underlined where his loyalties lie by surging forward in the first minute to win a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area.

Viana, making his Premiership debut following his £8.5m close-season arrival from Sporting Lisbon, swung the dead ball over from the left and Nikos Dabizas connected with a stooping far-post header which forced a save from James.

Newcastle, brimming with enterprise and endeavour, then went close twice in the space of four minutes through LuaLua.

His pace and movement had the Hammers' defence on the back foot and he cut in from the inside-left channel to hit a 20-yarder which was only narrowly wide of the near post.

Then, in the ninth minute, LuaLua took full advantage of a kind ricochet to work an opening for a dipping 25-yard effort that dropped wide of the same upright.

The Hammers responded by winning a corner on the right which Sebastian Schemmel played short to Trevor Sinclair.

Former Newcastle target Sinclair seized on it to drill in a low, angled drive, but keeper Shay Given performed a vital parry to frustrate the England man.

Shearer put the ball into the net on the half hour, but referee Paul Durkin has already blown for the Newcastle skipper's nudge on Christian Dailly.

At the other end, Joe Cole cleverly escaped between Bernard and Dabizas and the home side were relieved to see him drag his finish wide.

As half-time approached, Shearer was sent sprawling into the 'D' after Czech defender Tomas Repka checked his progress.

Solano rolled the resultant free-kick to Shearer, whose thunderous strike was deflected wide by the offending player.

Shearer was in the thick of things again soon after the resumption, threading the ball through the legs of Dailly and across goal to find Solano, whose shot was touched wide by James at close range.

The England keeper took a blow in the incident when he collided with colleague Ian Pearce.

But James showed no ill-effects as he made a comfortable enough save from a disappointing finish by LuaLua moments later.

James was extended, however, when Newcastle forced a corner on the left. Viana's delivery picked out centre-back Titus Bramble, whose towering header was tipped over by James.

But Newcastle's pressure finally told when LuaLua broke the deadlock and had it not been for the fingertips of James, another goal would have quickly followed.

Shearer set up Viana for a shooting chance on the edge of the area, but James stretched low to divert the ball wide.

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