Peter Lovenkrands grabbed a hat-trick as Newcastle brushed aside Plymouth in their FA Cup third round replay.
Lovenkrands grabs treble to book Baggies clash
Peter Lovenkrands grabbed a hat-trick as Newcastle brushed aside Plymouth in their FA Cup third round replay at St James' Park.
The Danish forward opened the scoring with only 10 minutes on the clock after being set up by Jonas Gutierrez, before the Argentine winger provided the cross for Lovenkrands to head in a second before the break.
And the former Rangers ace completed his treble in the 72nd minute after good work from Kevin Nolan to set up a fourth round trip to Championship rivals West Brom.
However, Newcastle, who have been attracting crowds significantly in excess of 40,000 this season, could only muster an attendance of 15,805.
But for manager Chris Hughton, who recalled big guns Jose Enrique, Steven Taylor, Nolan and Lovenkrands as he made six changes to the side which drew 0-0 at Home Park, it was a comfortable evening ahead of the big Championship clash with the Baggies next Monday evening.
Carved open
The Magpies simply had too much for Argyle with Enrique and Gutierrez repeatedly carving the visitors open down the left.
Newcastle forced their way in front with 10 minutes gone when Andy Carroll and Lovenkrands combined on halfway to find Gutierrez, and when the Argentinian slid the ball into the Dane's intelligent run, he produced a deft left-foot finish to beat keeper Romain Larrieu.
Carroll acrobatically hooked a 15th-minute Fabrice Pancrate cross on to the roof of Larrieu's net, and then three minutes later headed wide at the far post from Ryan Taylor's free-kick.
At the other end, first Carl Fletcher and then Luke Summerfield took aim from distance in quick succession, but although both hit the target, keeper Tim Krul was untroubled.
Larrieu had to pluck Gutierrez's flicked 27th-minute cross out of the air after he had collected Enrique's ball down the left, and leading scorer Nolan might have done better when he shot just over from the edge of the box seconds later.
Treble
Carroll fired wastefully over from Gutierrez's lay-off 11 minutes before the break and was unfortunate not to connect with Lovenkrands' cross four minutes later after the striker and Gutierrez had combined once again.
But the former Rangers frontman helped himself for a second time with five minutes of the half remaining when he headed the South American's cross firmly home despite Larrieu's best efforts.
Krul had his first shot of any note to save eight minutes after the break when Summerfield tested him from distance, but defender Kari Arnason had to get in a vital block to deny the rampaging Enrique three minutes later.
Gutierrez flashed a stinging 61st-minute shot just wide of the far post after Pancrate, Lovenkrands and Carroll had combined to set him up, but the third goal arrived with 18 minutes remaining.
Carroll headed the ball down to Nolan, who in turn fed Lovenkrands to volley home his third and complete his treble.
