Newcastle 3-1 Middlesbrough

Alan Shearer warned Fulham they will face a reinvigorated Mark Viduka on Saturday after the striker played a key role as Newcastle grabbed a lifeline in their relegation battle last night.

The Australia striker helped sink his former club Middlesbrough after a prolonged spell on the sidelines with an Achilles injury.

However, Viduka, 33, is now back to full fitness and Shearer reckons he can dent Fulham's Europa League aspirations at St James' Park.

He said: “Mark was brilliant against Middlesbrough. Everything we put into him stuck. I looked at it even with 10 minutes left and I was thinking to myself, He has still got the energy to cause them problems'.

“A fit Mark Viduka produces performance like that. That's why the medical side and the fitness side have worked very hard to get him fit, because when he plays like that, he is very difficult to handle. I know what he can do.”

Newcastle's win hauled them out of the relegation zone, with the turning point coming 20 minutes from time when Shearer replaced Michael Owen with Obafemi Martins.

Within seconds of coming on, Martins had fired home to make it 2-1 and another Shearer substitution saw Peter Lovenkrands wrap-up the scoring from close range four minutes from time.

Although Owen was unahppy at being taken off last night, he did pay tribute to the work being done by Shearer, who has been appointed until the end of the season, although there are suggestions he could stay longer.

Owen said: “I wish you were able to see how professional and focused we all are.

“The management team have made certain that we are in the right frame of mind and each of us knows the job we have to do as individuals and as part of the team.

“The most important thing in all our lives at the moment is to get the right results. Apart from trying everything he possibly can to keep Newcastle in the top flight, the manager is also trying to instill good habits.

“He wants the supporters to be proud of this club for its achievements and standards both on and off the pitch.”

Fulham, meanwhile, may have to recall their players early from their summer break, should they finish in the Europa League places. The third qualifying round is on 30 July — more than two weeks ahead of the start of the new Premier League season.

One player hoping to capitalise on the extra fixtures is back-up goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler, 38, who has struggled to get in ahead of Mark Schwarzer. The former Switzerland goalkeeper, who was signed from Swiss side Neuchatel Xamax, said: “Every day, I keep in mind that how I perform and how I behave is being assessed.”