Newcastle Utd 3 Wigan Athletic 0:Demba Ba provided a reminder of his potency to end Newcastle's wait for a league victory against 10-man Wigan.

The 27-year-old’s first-half double ended a run of four successive league defeats for the injury-hit Magpies. But Alan Pardew’s men were aided in no small part by the controversial 12th-minute dismissal of Maynor Figueroa by referee Mike Jones.

Ba converted the resulting penalty and then took his tally for the season to 10 with a close-range finish, with substitute Gael Bigirimana’s superb first goal for the club cementing just a second win in 10.