Match Analysis: Crystal Palace 0-3 Newcastle United

Newcastle United continued their fine form with a 3-0 victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League this afternoon.

Yohan Cabaye slotted in with 25 minutes gone and then Daniel Gabbidon scored an own goal before half time.

Hatem Ben Arfa scored a late second-half penalty to wrap up a comfortable win for the away side.

Here Sports Mole takes a closer look at the action between the teams.

Match statistics:

Crystal Palace: Shots 9 On target 4 Possession 33% Corners 3 Fouls 11

Newcastle: Shots 13 On target 6 Possession 67% Corners 7 Fouls 14

Was the result fair?

Without a doubt, yes. Even though the first 20 minutes were very tight, Newcastle pushed on and began to dominate just after their first goal. They restricted Palace to very little and looked dangerous when going forward. In this sort of form, Alan Pardew's side look capable of going far this season.

Crystal Palace's performance:

The problem for the home side today was a lack of quality in the final third. They worked hard throughout the match, but failed to open up the Newcastle defence. The one clear-cut chance they had came when Cameron Jerome fired over the bar from inside the box. If that had gone in, then it could have been a different second half, but manager Tony Pulis will know that his team didn't do enough on the day.

Newcastle's performance:

Pardew will be extremely proud of his players this evening. They were stronger than their opponents in every department and made the most of their opportunities. Yohan Cabaye dictated the pace of the game in midfield and helped the Magpies to huge amounts of possession. They used the ball well and were in complete control from the moment they went 1-0 up.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Yohan Cabaye: Cabaye was useful with the ball and weighed in with the opening goal. With him in midfield, Newcastle are a stronger side, as Palace found out today.

Biggest gaffe

With Newcastle 1-0 up, Mathieu Debuchy swung the ball in and Daniel Gabbidon inadvertently directed it into his own net. After that, the away side never looked back.

Referee performance

Neil Swarbrick's performance focuses on his decision to award Newcastle a penalty when Shola Ameobi went over in the box under a Jonny Parr tackle. There was contact and the referee probably got it just right. Overall, he had a decent game.

What next?

Crystal Palace: The Eagles travel to Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

Newcastle: Newcastle welcome Stoke City to St James' Park as they look to continue their good form.