Reds win puts pressure on Allardyce

Steven Gerrard, who was booed by the home fans for his part in England's Euro 2008 failure in midweek, opened the scoring with a 28th-minute piledriver and after the hugely impressive Fernando Torres hit the post on the stroke of half-time, Dirk Kuyt made it 2-0 within 60 seconds of the restart.

Substitute Ryan Babel capitalised on the mayhem in Newcastle's defence to make it 3-0 with 24 minutes remaining as the home fans chanted "You don't know what you are doing" and "Big Sam for England".

Allardyce rose this morning to read of apparent unrest in his dressing room, but that was nothing compared to the boos which greeted his players as they left the field after a desperately poor opening 45 minutes.

In truth, it could have been much worse with Torres having squandered the chance to double the Reds' lead in the final minute of the half after Kuyt had turned Charles N'Zogbia's kamikaze header into his path.

Given looked to have misjudged his sprint towards the ball, but managed to make a vital block, and he got his reward when the Spaniard picked up the loose ball and fired against the foot of the post with the goal at his mercy.

If the Magpies had escaped at the end of the first half, they were not to be so fortunate at the beginning of the second after Habib Beye was forced to concede a 46th-minute corner. Sami Hyypia managed to get a flick on Gerrard's ball in at the near post and Kuyt bundled it home from close range to make it 2-0.

Newcastle were in complete disarray and after Torres had twice gone close, substitute Babel finally made them pay when he exchanged passes with Gerrard to fire home a third goal after 66 minutes.

Torres was tormenting the home defence and should really have added his name to the scoresheet, firing wide after 68 minutes with just the helpless Given to beat and then seeing another effort blocked by the Irishman seconds later.

Babel sent a stinging shot across Given's goal after 73 minutes and then laid a fourth on a plate for Kuyt, only to see the Dutchman scuff his effort straight at the goalkeeper, and the final whistle came as a merciful release.