Blackburn will be grateful to Friedel who kept them in the game here, and allowed Pedersen's scrappy goal to earn them all three points

A chorus of boos echo around St James as Howard Webb brings the game to an end

Claims for a penalty are turned down after the ball strikes Steven Reid

O'Brien crosses but no-one is on hand to meet it

There's going to be an additional three minutes here

Blackburn are happy to nudge the ball around their back four

Boumsong breaks into the oppostion area but takes a theatrical dive and is lucky not to be booked

There's frustration in the home stands as they struggle to exert any kind of pressure on the Blackburn goal

Newcastle continue to push on but they have to be aware of the danger Blackburn pose on the break

Newcastle are starting to show much more urgency in their play now

Babayaro fires in a shot from the edge of the area which fizzes wide of the post

The home crowd try to rally their troops, but Souness' men have a poor record after falling behind

Chopra tries a shot from distance, easily blocked by Tugay when the ball to Bowyer was the better option

Jean-Alain Boumsong clears Peter's cross from the left in an increasingly rare Blackburn attack

O'Brien again does well down the left and his cross finds Shearer, but the number 9 is pulled up for offside

Chopra turns on the edge of the area but his attempts to win a free kick are more likely to win an Oscar

Peter pulls the ball back but Kuqi fails to react quickly enough

Newcastle are well on top at the moment, and Souness will be desperate for his side to make this advantage count

O'Brien does well down the left, but his cross evaded Chopra and Solano and Friedel gathers

Pedersen crosses from the left, but Ramage shows good nerve to bring the ball down and clear

Shearer gets above his marker, but his header goes straight into Friedel's arms

Blackburn haven't really threatened in this second half, but you still get the feeling they could pose a danger on the break

Solano fires in a cross, headed down by Shearer straight into the path of Bowyer, but the former Leeds man again fails to get a clean contact

Solano sends in a free kick which Bowyer meets, but fumbles it wide when he should have done better

Dickov is stricken after an innocent looking clash with Babayaro. The Scot is leaving the field holding his shoulder, but looks set to continue

Celestine Babayaro fires in a cross but Shearer is just beaten to the ball by Khizanishvili

Bramble lifts the ball into the area, but Luque fails to control - if he had, he'd have been clean through

Newcastle are straight on the attack and Khizanishvili has to be on his toes to prevent Chopra at the near post

Blackburn get a free kick just outside the Newcastle area, which Savage fires straight into the wall. There'll be only 1 extra minute

Nelsen is dispossessed by Bowyer who passes to Shearer but his pass to put Solano clean through is too heavy

Shearer plays the ball back for Bowyer, but his shot is blocked well by Savage

Given is once again sold short, this time by Bramble, and the Irish stopper show Dickov a neat dummy before clearing

Given has to be fleet of foot to get to Peter Ramage's intended back pass

Robbie Savage is harshly adjudged to have handball-ed on the right-hand edge of the area. Luque takes the free kick which ends up in Row Z

Newcastle break quickly and Bowyer feeds Shearer who only has the advancing keeper to beat, but he has to stretch and dinks the ball wide of the post

Pedersen has a shot which flies into the stand - he looks down accusingly at the pitch

A goal is coming, but it's anyone's guess as to who's going to get it

Pedersen fires a great shot into the side netting, but he'd have done well to score from such an acute angle

Nelsen does well to get back and block Bowyer who was fed by Luque

Pedersen sends in a wicked corner which misses everyone and goes behind for a goal kick

Celestine Babayaro sends in a high cross which brings hopeful appeals for a penalty for handball from Ryan Nelsen

Bowyer clips in for Luque who heads down but Chopra is out-muscled by Zurab Khizanishvili

Pedersen sends in a corner which Tugay meets on the volley, but he can't keep it down

Reid is getting a lot of the ball in midfield and is causing the home side a whole host of problems

Kuqi fires a cross over to an unmarked Dickov just yards out, but the Scot is rather too casual with his finish and Given remarkably gets down to save

Newcastle have done well to deal with the early Blackburn threat, and are now asking more questions

A great ball from Bramble finds Chopra on the left, who cuts inside but fires narrowly wide

Shearer meets a Solano corner but thunders his header over the bar

Luque feeds Chopra, but the striker opts to square it when he really should have unleashed a shot

Michael Gray miscontrols, bringing a huge cheer from the home faithful for the former Sunderland player

Neat work by Solano and Luque ensures the ball is sent into the area, but Alan Shearer is adjudged to have pushed his man at the far post

The players catch their breath somewhat after a rip-roaring start - can't see this one ending 0-0

Steven Reid tries his luck from range but fires the ball high and wide

A great ball by Nolberto Solano finds Michael Chopra who pulls it back and Albert Luque runs onto the deflected ball and hammers a shot goalwards, but Brad Friedel does brilliantly to get down and block the shot

Blackburn have shot out of the blocks, with the Newcastle defence starting how it ended at Fulham - all over the place

Kerimoglu Tugay shows neat work outside the area, but his shot dribbles through to Shay Given

Paul Dickov shows neat control but his attempt to get the ball into the danger area gets blocked by Titus Bramble

Lucas Neill flicks on and Morten Gamst Pedersen has a great chance to open the scoring from 4-yards out, but miskicks - a howler!