Emre givesNewcastle breathing space

Newcastle United 3 Reading 2:So the Premiership is supposed to be boring? A wonderfully exhilarating night of gung-ho attacking and kamikaze defending concluded with Emre extending his left foot to curl an 84th-minute winner for Newcastle into the top corner from just outside the area after running more than 30 yards with the ball. It was enough to lift Glenn Roeder's side out of the bottom three and deny Steve Coppell's Reading third place.

Strangely enough, this was the first league meeting between these sides. For long periods, James Harper and Glen Little threatened to leave Roeder remembering it for all the wrong reasons.

Newcastle, however, began the brighter. Antoine Sibierski is making something of a habit of scoring with his head and the Frenchman's latest such goal arrived after his powerful connection with Nolberto Solano's cross confounded Marcus Hahnemann, the Reading goalkeeper who had earlier done well to save a header from Obafemi Martins.

Sibierski then set about deconstructing the view that his first touch is not all it might be by conjuring a chance for Martins with a sublime backheel. The Nigerian's shot rose over the bar, but he was unlucky to see a later effort hit the bar before Hahnemann repelled Sibierski's strike on the rebound with his legs.

Newcastle were largely in control and but for a fine block by Ibrahima Sonko on Emre after the Turk had run virtually half the length of the pitch and was just shaping to shoot, Roeder's side would have been two up.

Instead Newcastle allowed Harper to transform the evening with his first two goals of the season, late in the first half. First, he met John Oster's pull-back on the edge of the area. His right-foot shot took a deflection off Solano and left Shay Given wrong-footed. Harper indulged in one of the season's more original goal celebrations; a choreographed touchline waltz with Reading's kit-man.

Given conceded another goal four minutes later after being betrayed by hesitant defending by Celestine Babayaro, who allowed Little to cut inside Emre and unleash a shot which Newcastle's goalkeeper did superbly well to parry. Unfortunately for Given, the ball fell to Harper on the edge of the area, from where his half-volley did the rest.

Little, who minutes earlier had replaced Stephen Hunt in midfield, was making quite an impact and Given had to make another stellar save to defy Seol Ki-Hyeon after Little's through-ball. Newcastle were without Stephen Carr, Titus Bramble and Craig Moore and Roeder presumably had stern words with his defence at half-time.

His side were level early in the second half, however, when Sonko's high challenge in the area felled Martins and the former Inter Milan striker directed the penalty into the bottom corner. Soon afterwards Sibierski had the ball in the net again, but was marginally offside. No matter; Emre enjoyed a decisive final word.

NEWCASTLE UTD:Given, Solano, Taylor, Ramage, Babayaro, Milner, Butt, Emre, N'Zogbia, Sibierski, Martins (Rossi 89). Subs Not Used: Srnicek, Luque, Huntington, Pattison. Booked: Solano. Goals: Sibierski 23, Martins 57 pen, Emre 84.

READING:Hahnemann, Murty (Bikey 90), Sonko, Ingimarsson, Shorey, Oster, Sidwell, Harper, Hunt (Little 36), Doyle (Lita 81), Ki-Hyeon. Subs Not Used: Federici, Gunnarsson. Booked: Murty. Goals: Harper 37, 42. Att: 48,182.

Referee:R Styles (Hampshire).