Celebrations are muted as Newcastle scramble to safety

TIME to crack open the champagne? Not exactly. But having secured their Premier League status with one game to spare, at least Newcastle United can draw a line under this thoroughly miserable campaign.

Sunday's final home game against Arsenal will now be an irrelevance rather than an escape bid, a small mercy given the Magpies' lofty ambitions prior to the start of the season, but a mercy nevertheless given the way things were looking a few weeks back.

A 2-1 win over a QPR side who look all but certain to finish bottom of the table would not ordinarily be a source of celebration, but such has been the paucity of Newcastle's away form this season, it could not be taken for granted at kick-off.

It looked even less likely when Loic Remy converted a disputed 11th-minute penalty, causing nerves to jangle in the packed away end at Loftus Road, but Hatem Ben Arfa's own spot-kick quickly hauled Newcastle back on level terms, before Yoan Gouffran's coolly-taken volley placed survival tantalisingly within reach.

SUMMER TARGET? Queens Park Rangers' Loic Remy, centre, who almost signed for Newcastle in January, battles for the ball with Mike Williamson, left, and Mathieu Debuchy, right

Newcastle being Newcastle, things were not as trouble-free as they should have been, with goalkeeper Rob Elliot's 80th-minute dismissal for handling the ball outside the area briefly heralding fears of yet another collapse.

But thanks to a focus and commitment that has been missing on far too many occasions this season, Newcastle held on for the most precious three points of Alan Pardew's reign. Bright and incisive as they claimed the lead before the break, they were resolute and determined as they defended their advantage after the interval.

Why weren't those qualities evident in the majority of Newcastle's previous 36 league games? That is a question that will have to be addressed when Pardew and Mike Ashley hold their extensively-trailed debrief later this month. For now, the main thing is that the Magpies finally summoned sufficient resolve to scramble over the finish line.

They had to overcome adversity in order to do so, with referee Lee Probert's controversial 11th-minute decision to award a penalty against Mathieu Debuchy hardly representing the best of starts to such a crucial fixture.

Debuchy tugged Junior Hoilett's shirt in an attempt to prevent the winger getting outside him, but while there was further contact between the two players in the penalty area, the initial offence clearly took place outside the box.

BATTLE: Queens Park Rangers' Jose Bosingwa (left) and Newcastle United's Papiss Cisse vie for possession

Remy spurned Newcastle's advances in January, opting to conduct transfer talks in London rather than making a scheduled journey to the North-East, so it was no surprise at all when he rolled home from the spot. Having rubbed Newcastle's noses in it once, the France international was clearly intent on inflicting yet more damage.

Given the regularity with which they have folded meekly on their travels this season, few would have had much faith in Newcastle's capacity to bounce back. Yet when the need for a reaction was at its most intense, the Magpies finally discovered a previously-hidden resolve, and by the time the interval arrived, they had turned a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead. It was a spell that saved their season.

They were indebted to two glaring errors from Jose Bosingwa, who was hauled off at the interval after being roundly booed by his own supporters, who clearly regard him as one of the key contributors to QPR's downfall.

Having seen Probert penalise Debuchy for the softest of tugs, goodness knows what possessed Bosingwa to grab a handful of Ben Arfa's shirt seven minutes later. Probert again pointed to the spot, and Ben Arfa dusted himself down before hammering into the roof of the net.

Ben Arfa's direct dribbling was a key feature of Newcastle's attacking play, with Pardew's decision to push Gouffran alongside Papiss Cisse into a two-man strike force also helping to enhance the visitors' threat.

Cabaye would have equalised 30 seconds before Ben Arfa won his penalty had Bosingwa not blocked his shot after Gouffan pulled the ball back from the touchline, and Newcastle would have claimed the lead midway through the first half had an errant offside flag not curtailed Cisse's celebrations.

The Senegal international was level with the last defender when he began his run to head home Debuchy's right-wing cross, but the assistant's decision spared QPR. It only proved a temporary reprieve.

Thirteen minutes later, and Bosingwa played his goalkeeper, Robert Green, into trouble with a dreadful back-pass, Green's attempted clearance was charged down by a committed Jonas Gutierrez, and Gouffran held his nerve to dispatch a measured first-time volley into the empty net.

Newcastle deserved their advantage, although they were grateful to Elliot, who produced a smart low stop to deny Hoilett after the winger's one-two with Bobby Zamora had pierced the Magpies' defence.

With QPR's relegation already confirmed, there were always going to be question marks over the hosts' stomach for a fight, but Harry Redknapp's side enjoyed enough possession in the second half to ensure Newcastle could not afford to allow their concentration levels to drop.

They didn't, largely thanks to the leadership of Fabricio Coloccini, who has transformed his side's defending since returning from injury, and the honest graft of Mike Williamson, who provided some welcome commitment as he replaced virus victim Steven Taylor.

Debuchy was forced to produce an excellent last-ditch block to prevent Zamora converting former Newcastle midfielder Jermaine Jenas' pull back, but with Shaun Derry hacking Gutierrez's header off the goalline, it looked like the game was heading for a routine conclusion. That changed, however, when Elliot needlessly got himself sent off with ten minutes left.

The goalkeeper had already been booked for time wasting midway through the second half, and his dismissal was inevitable from the moment he handled outside the area as he attempted to deal with a long ball into the channel.

In Elliot's defence, Coloccini contributed to the shambles as he opted not to deal with things himself, but quite why Elliot did not head the ball to safety when there was always a danger it would drift outside the area is hard to ascertain.

Steve Harper was pressed into duty for the final eight minutes, and will now make his final appearance in a Newcastle shirt in Sunday's home game with Arsenal, and while the veteran was not called into action, there was an injury-time scare when Andros Townsend curled a 14-yard shot narrowly over the crossbar.