Newcastle 1 Liverpool 0
Newcastle United climbed back into fourth place in the Barclaycard Premiership as a ninth successive league win at St James' Park added to Liverpool's woes.
Laurent Robert's deflected 13th-minute free-kick was enough to see off the Reds, who had midfielder Salif Diao sent off for two bookable offences on a night when Gerard Houllier's injury-depleted side once again failed to find any real fluidity.
They have now taken just four points from the last 30 and start 2003 lying seventh in the table, 12 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
By contrast, the Magpies are level on points with third-placed Chelsea and have a game in hand on the three teams above them.
The absence of Michael Owen, who has scored 13 goals in nine appearances against Newcastle, with a hamstring injury was reason enough for Sir Bobby Robson to be delighted that the game was given the go-ahead after a 6pm pitch inspection. But the smile on the 69-year-old's face could hardly have been broader as he set of the dressing room at half-time.
Robson had described the St James' Park pitch on Sunday as a pudding, but it was little short of a mudbath tonight.
A United side shorn of midfield trio Gary Speed, Kieron Dyer and Nolberto Solano through injury, played slick football as deputies Jermaine Jenas, Brian Kerr - making his first senior start for the club - and the outstanding Clarence Acuna took the game by the scruff of the neck.
With Steven Gerrard and Salif Diao each picking up a yellow card within the first seven minutes of the kick-off, Acuna and Jenas won the central midfield battle hands down in the early stages - and with strikers Craig Bellamy and Alan Shearer using their contrasting skills to put the Reds rearguard under pressure, Shay Given and his defenders had merely to maintain a watching brief for long periods.
Newcastle went in front when, after John Arne Riise had felled Shearer inches outside the penalty area, Robert's wicked free-kick clipped striker Milan Baros and sped inside Chris Kirkland's left-hand post.
Kirkland produced a brave block to deny Acuna a second with 22 minutes gone, and the South American lifted a lob over the bar seconds later after the visitors failed to clear a Robert corner.
An underhit Andy O'Brien back pass apart, Given had little to trouble him inside the opening half-hour - although he was called upon soon afterwards when Gerrard let fly from distance and got his effort on target.
Shearer went within inches of his 14th Premiership goal of the season four minutes before the break when he blasted a low shot just wide after Jenas had tapped a short free-kick to him.
United had a late scare in the final minute of the half when O'Brien's slip allowed Gerrard in, but Andy Griffin turned up in the nick of time to hack his dangerous cross away.
Liverpool replaced Baros with 20-year-old Neil Mellor on 55 minutes, but it was El Hadji Diouf who almost made the breakthrough two minutes later when he went through on goal only to be denied by a superb challenge from O'Brien.
But their uphill task became almost vertical 11 minutes later when Diao, who had been booked for a seventh-minute foul on Bellamy, lunged at Andy Griffin and received his marching orders for a second yellow card.
Mellor forced a solid save from Given with a neat flicked header from a Gerrard free-kick, and Aaron Hughes managed to deflect a shot from the same player wide after he had used his strength well to accept substitute Vladimir Smicer's pass.
Diouf, who had also been booked early in the first half, was fortunate not to follow Diao into the bath after a late 75th-minute challenge on Jenas.
Substitute Shola Ameobi had a golden opportunity to make sure of the victory with six minutes remaining when Bellamy picked him out inside the box - but his weak shot was cleared by Sami Hyypia in front of goal.
Kirkland kept out another Shearer piledriver at the death, but the points were already safely banked.