Half time: Newcastle 0 Portsmouth 0

48mins After Milner had pushed into the Pompey area,the lively Rossi controlled the ball, twisted and fired home in one movement - ignoring the sprawled out Steven Taylor and his dodgy penalty appeal to finish in style. 1-0

53mins Duff served up a dream of a left wing cross and it was finished by the unlikely figure of Solano, who buried his header into the roof of the Gallowgate net. 2-0

90mins A run to the byline and pullback from Milner ended with Solano deflecting a half-clearance into the goal to round off the night. 3-0

Full time: Newcastle 3 Portsmouth 0

Glenn Roeder commented:

"I was pleased with all of them (the players). 

"There are a number of players who started the game who have been heavily criticised lately and they probably had their best game of the season (a reference to Titus).

"What pleased me about that is they showed the character you would want them to. When you are criticised, if you are not a man, it is easy to fold and curl up and go away.

"But those players did not, those players went out and put in their best game of the season. I am pleased for them."

"I'm pleased for the players - not pleased for myself, pleased for the players.

"They have deserved better in the last few weeks - they know that, I know that, I'm not sure other people realise that - but they have deserved better and they have not had the breaks.

"After the first fifteen minutes, once we got used to the conditions and they type of football we had to play, we ran out worthy winners.

"We could have scored more goals - it's a long time since we scored three.

"But don't worry about me, I'm so pleased for the players."

"Giuseppe Rossi has been very patient waiting for an opportunity. He will certainly get plenty of opportunities between now and the end of December.

"It was a fantastic finish. I would expect him to finish there because I have seen it so often.

"I have seen it in games when he was at Manchester United, whether it was his opportunities in the first team or in reserve-team football.

"He is, in my opinion, a natural goal scorer, and he worked so hard for the team as well. He was a real pain for their defence.

""Now we need to build on that and take the performance into Saturday. The boys can't wait for Saturday."

On Dyer:

"I took that decision (to include him) when I watched him play (in Tuesday's friendly v Darlo). 

I pulled him off after 60 minutes. The intention was he was going to play a full 90 minutes, but he was so outstanding in that game at the training ground, it occurred to me I ought to be putting him on the bench for the game," Roeder said.

The former West Ham boss added: "I thought it would give everyone a lift. He's got great respect in our dressing room and I thought by putting him on the bench not only would he give us a lift, he would give our supporters a lift.

"I didn't particularly have intentions of putting him on, but when he was called into action, we saw there how very quick he is, how rapid he is when he carries the ball and he was unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions."

Dyer has been blighted by a long line of injury problems, the latest complaint being a torn hamstring, but Roeder claimed that the ex-Ipswich star was "very happy" to be on the brink of returning to regular first-team action.

"I'm so pleased to see Kieron Dyer with a smile on his face again."

'Arry Redknapp had gone to see a geezer in a boozer about a motor, so Linvoy Primus did the honours:

“We’ve played on worse.

We’re disappointed because we haven’t had a cup run for a while but we can’t blame the conditions for the fact we lost.”

The Pompey boss popped up later to say:

'Linvoy has picked up a hamstring injury and that may be a problem.

We have Dejan injured and Glen Johnson out with a thigh strain, too.

'Having three of your back four out is not a good situation. We're hoping they can play but suddenly we are struggling. If we lose a couple of key players it appears we have problems.
'Clearly we have a few issues defensively if we get injuries.'

'We have signed players who have made a massive difference, but when we take them out we're not the same team.

'You give a few people a rest and bring a few in and they didn't do the job. No-one really impressed me.
'We have O'Brien, Lomana Lualua, Niko Kranjcar, Manuel Fernandes and Andy Cole who need games and we had to play them.

'I wanted to beat Newcastle and it was a wasted opportunity.'

Some miserable beggars would have you believe that this match should never have taken place. 

Incessant rain had certainly made the St. James' surface sodden but definitely not unplayable. 

Those of us that can recall water polo games against the mackems (pre and post Premiership) and monsoons against Wrexham (goal-kicks being blown out for corners) weren't impressed by a spot of inclement weather though.

True, there were areas of the pitch that had standing water on them and the run of the ball was affected, but to deny the modern generation of fans the spectacle of a ball sticking in a puddle would have been churlish to say the least.

Some sanctimonious local scribes put forward the notion of our delicate multimillion pound stars putting their precious fitness on the line in such conditions. Poppycock.

Shearer and Owen's worst injuries came on perfect playing surfaces while this time last year, our first team were dropping like flies on the carpet-like turf at Darsley Park.

It seems to me that players slipping and sliding around as if they were on a local heat of "It's a Knockout" is probably safer than high speed, high impact challenges on turf that is tightly-bound and unforgiving.

No, our man in yellow with the appropriate surname was spot-on in letting this game go ahead and play to a finish. Well done to ref, Andre Marriner, for allowing the show to go on and avoid a horrendous fixture pile-up.

Looking at both sides warming up, there didn't seem any danger of a postponement, although the rain was constant and heavy. The floodlights illuminating great sheets of rainfall being blown in all directions exaggerated the conditions but to be honest, parts of the Wigan game in August were probably played in worse conditions.

Both matches witnessed the hilarious sight of Titus Bramble's ample backside skidding for fully 15 yards as he made timely interventions. For the beleaguered Bramble, the game was a personal triumph. Perhaps our hapless defender likes the going to be soft-to-subaqua....

Surprisingly tonight, it also seemed to galvanise the workshy Babayaro who flung himself around like a man possessed. One Exocet-like challenge near the dugouts in particular sparked off all sorts of shenanigans, ending in a booking for Thompson after erstwhile Olympian Celestine performed a double salco and twist.

The visitors seemed quicker to adapt to the watery surface and cam close to grabbing an early lead when a long range Kranjcar effort almost squirmed through Harper's grasp.

Butt also seemed to relish the conditions and he and N'Zogbia were winning tackles, with Solano and Milner also getting stuck in. One run from the latter saw him reprise a forward burst from Sunday - riding several challenges hurrying his shot and spurning the chance to notch a truly memorable goal that his work-rate thoroughly deserves.

Up front, Rossi and Martins had their moments but they were few and far between in the first 45, the latter executing a delicate chip that almost embarrassed James but ended up on the roof of the Leazes net. 

It wasn't the first or last moment reminiscent of another night when the heavens opened on a Magpies manager under pressure - a chip at the Leazes End sealing the fate of Ruud Gullit. However to cast sub Albert Luque in the Shearer or Ferguson role doesn't really ermm....hold water.

That night was also memorable for Kieron Dyer's first goal for United and after numerous false dawns, this became the game in which he began to resurrect his Gallowgate career. 

Note use of the word "began" there: until he's played a lot of football without injury and contributed goals and assists, then Dyer has failed to a) answer his critics b) save Roeder's job or c) put his fitness worries behind him - three things that certain journalists are just itching to write... 

By the time the prodigal son made his latest return, we were already two-up and on our way to victory. Duff had come on for Martins at the break and whether injury had enforced the change or not, great credit must go to Roeder & Co for the transformation in the second half.

If it was tactical, then putting Duff on was a masterstroke. We came out looking like a completely different side, attacking from the off and the first goal wasn't long in coming.

A free-kick was eventually played to Taylor who went crashing to the ground under a challenge. 

While others appealed and the Pompey defence stood still, Rossi swivelled and hit a low drive beyond James to open his Toon account in style.

The celebrations on the pitch were long and enthusiastic - a side under-fire proving their critics wrong? A siege mentality has obviously been developed in the ranks during the recent poor run of form, which isn't a bad thing.

The big test was whether our lot could hold on to yet another lead and the thankfully for all concerned, answer was emphatically provided a few minutes later. 

Duff once again scampered down the left and his cross was perfect for Solano to thunder an unstoppable header into the roof of the net - his momentum taking him sliding into the advertising hoardings. It was another joyous moment that the whole team celebrated and for once, the leaping about in the stands was pretty enthusiastic too.

Pompey looked a beaten side from that moment on and when Dyer took to the field the feel-good factor was at an all-time high. His reception was fantastic - obviously buoyed by the two-goal lead but for me, the standing ovation was a bit over the top for someone whose career break may well have been at least partly self-induced.

Although I'm delighted Dyer's enormous wages are now actually paying for something other than designer labels and bling, let's not forget his chequered past. Refusal to play on the wing, tossing away of the armband and numerous off-field misdemeanours haven't been forgotten by this site.

Various reports said that Dyer's contribution was lively and effective. He certainly caused a problem or two and almost grabbed himself a goal on his return, but was I the only one to notice that one thirty yard dash saw him absolutely shattered?

He sprinted like a madman through the middle before losing control and for the next few minutes he wandered around gingerly as if his legs had turned to jelly - just like he had at the Hawthorns on his last unsuccessful comeback.

If we are are still to believe the hamstrings tale we have been spun for the last few years, then his latest return needs to be backed up by strong and effective 90 minute performances. I'll wait for a few of those before he gets a standing ovation from me....

Rossi nearly bagged a second but hit his shot up at James when something low and hard would have surely made the net bulge again.

Portsmouth had one last attempt to break our defences late on and looked to have done it when LuaLua's goalbound attempt was helped in by a team mate who was offside on the line. The ref also seemed to indicate he had used a hand, although avoiding any sort of contact would have seen his side get one back.

But this was to be our night and although the Gods had seen fit dump bucket loads of wet stuff on our heroes, above the clouds they continued to smile on them when a clearance ricocheted to Solano's feet six yards out. He couldn't miss.

On a night when former Mags, O'Brien, Cole and LuaLua could have poured more misery on our old-boy manager, it went completely the other way. Whether this will be a welcome confidence booster or just a slight diversion from the worrying league campaign remains to be seen.

However, Roeder's post-match quotes were a little spiteful, although headlines of 'We've proved critics wrong' were over-dramatic and outside of his control.

The league table still shows us in 16th with just seven points from 27 - one good Carling Cup win doesn't change that. 

Glenn may want to retain his "I told you so" comments until the end of the season, should he still be here..., but if it's all part of harbouring a tight team spirit then that's fine by me. 

Only a win against Charlton though will make this 3-0 victory against a Premiership form side more than just a futile cup splashabout.

Niall Mackenzie

Our immediate post-match scribblings were as follows:

Given a starting place for the first time since joining us, on-loan striker Giuseppe Rossi repaid his selection with a finely-taken goal and a lively display to help ease us into the Fourth Round of the Carling Cup.

However while Rossi's contribution will have pleased Glenn Roeder, there's also an element of irony in watching a striker borrowed from another Premiership side make more of an impact than the £10m striker alongside him - or the £11m one languishing on the bench.

Luque was an unused sub, while Martins exited at half time after managing two decent efforts - one a tricky lob from the right flank that ended up on the roof of the net; the other a sizzling volley from a corner that flew over the bar. That aside though, there was little of note.

Rossi meanwhile played the full game, showed some good control and trickery in the early stages and in general looked up for the fight - doubtless pleased just to be playing.

Rested for this tie were Ameobi, Parker and Carr, while Duff and Ramage began the night on the bench before appearing on the field. Emre and Sibierski were unavailable due to injury, while Craig Moore took the Captain's armband. 

While a win of any sorts is welcome at present and scoring three goals without reply is a rare treat, there has to be some sort of context applied here.

Not for the first time, questions could be asked about a defence at SJP featuring Andy O'Brien, while the visitors in general seemed resigned to their fate once behind - leaving it late before rousing themselves when two down.

But as we had done against Fenerbahce there was a sense of a commitment to getting the job done and some solid displays - Bramble especially seeming to relish the conditions.

Certainly this was a country mile away from our last tie in this competition - the disgraceful non- display at Wigan last season (from which only N'Zogbia and Solano were in the starting XIs for both games).     

Our advice for Saturday's home game against Charlton (who won tonight against Bolton)? Start with Rossi on Saturday and water the pitch.....if it ever stops raining.

PS - If this result does one thing, it will hopefully give a boost to the collective mood of the SJP crowd in advance of the next game.  

It remains in the hands of the players to keep the crowd on their side - the anti-Shepherd chants of last Sunday came about because of frustration with events on the field. 

Quite simply, if the team is entertaining them and winning match, most folks don't give two hoots about the PLC goings on.

Biffa

Reports