IT WAS Murphy's Law at Anfield on Wednesday night as the lights all but went out on Newcastle's Premiership title challenge.

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Magpies as they discovered a new Liverpool Nemesis in midfielder Danny Murphy.

A floodlight failure seven minutes before the scheduled 8pm kick-off delayed the start by half an hour as Anfield temporarily became the Stadium of Dark.

But Murphy proved the bright spark, adding two more goals to the one he scored in Liverpool's victory at Newcastle this season by the same scoreline.

United boss Bobby Robson had asked centre-back Andy O'Brien to track the mercurial Michael Owen, who had scored 12 goals in his seven previous appearances against the Geordies.

But Robson reckoned without former United target Murphy, who struck in the 32nd minute and eight minutes into the second period to further lift the spirits of manager Gerard Houllier ahead of his imminent return to work after five months' recuperation from life-saving heart surgery.

A worry, however, for Houllier - and watching England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson - was the exit of Owen in the 71st minute with what was immediately feared to be a recurrence of hamstring trouble.

Newcastle's best chance of scoring in the first half fell to Clarence Acuna, whose outstretched leg could only put the ball over the bar from six yards out.

Liverpool began the second period with similar intent, Heskey lifting the ball over from Smicer's cross.

And both men were involved when Murphy doubled the Merseysiders' lead. Heskey found Smicer, who laid the ball off for Murphy, and the Crewe Alexandra product forced his way through the middle to beat Given with a shot the keeper could only help into the net.

Given fared better when he raced from his line to block Owen's shot, and at the other end Jenas raised Newcastle's hopes with an effort which went agonisingly wide.

There was more despair for the Magpies when Cort had the ball in the net, but referee Jeff Winter ruled he had used his hand on the end of Nolberto Solano's free-kick.

And Hamann increased the pain when he guided home an angled 20-yarder to make it an unhappy night for Shearer on his 300th Premiership appearance, as United suffered their eighth straight League defeat here.

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