Saido Berahino struck an 87th-minute penalty as West Bromwich Albion ended the resistance of 10-man Newcastle United and secured a 1-0 victory.
The Burundi international kept his nerve from 12 yards to slot beyond Tim Krul and spare the Baggies' blushes after Mathieu Debuchy had been sent off midway through the second half.
It was the Magpies who had fashioned the game's first opportunity but Yohan Cabaye volleyed narrowly wide of Ben Foster's post on 27 minutes.
Shortly after Chris Brunt was guilty of spurning a goalscoring chance, with the Northern Irishman planting a tame header past the post after Morgan Amalfitano's teasing cross.
However, both opportunities were paled into insignificance by Nicolas Anelka's miss, as the Frenchman fired over the bar from close range following Amalfitano's clever cut-back.
Debuchy was given his marching orders on 63 minutes for a two-footed lunge on Claudio Yacob but, despite the numerical advantage, Keith Downing's men struggled to capitalise.
However, with three minutes remaining Krul was adjudged to have fouled Matej Vydra, before Berahino stepped up and fired beyond the Dutchman to seal Albion's first victory in 10 games.
Shane Callaghan
