Shearer hits double for 301 but loses the game

Blackburn Rovers 5 Newcastle United

It's not often that a player on the wrong end of a drubbing gets the plaudits but Alan Shearer deserves them, and not just because his first goal against one of his former teams took him beyond the milestone of 300 goals in club football.

It was the manner in which he almost rescued a lost cause either side of half time that made many regret, after Wednesday's events in Southampton, that he has quit the international stage.

With Newcastle two goals behind and reduced to 10 men, Shearer's tenacity and energy single-handedly restored parity and might have carried them into an unlikely lead before Newcastle's depleted ranks finally crumbled in the face of a rampant Blackburn attack.

"It is a historic achievement," said his manager Sir Bobby Robson, "and I think he has many more goals in his locker. He is a proven goalscorer with both foot and head and his achievement will take some catching. He fought hard for us today chasing all over the field and harassing their defenders to recoup the ball after we had gone down to 10 men." Indeed, it had looked all over for the Magpies as early as the eighth minute after David Dunn, who many at Ewood Park also believe would sharpen England's cutting edge, had scored twice.

The first was a penalty struck low to Shay Given's right after Nikos Dabizas stopped Dwight Yorke's shot on the line with his hands. The Greek defender was sent off for his pains and before Newcastle had reorganised, Dunn cut in from the right to beat Given again with an angled drive that went under the stranded goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net.

Blackburn squandered several more chances to put the game beyond recall before Shearer intervened for the first time. He was perhaps fortunate to be awarded a penalty when he and Henning Berg went up for the ball well away from the danger zone in a corner of the penalty area. Berg was adjudged to have pushed him and Shearer took full advantage of the decision, striking the spot-kick powerfully beyond Brad Friedel's reach.

It was a historic moment and it lifted Newcastle, who finished the first period the stronger, Friedel turning Laurent Robert's 30-yard free-kick over the bar before saving at Craig Bellamy's feet.

Two minutes after the break Shearer completed an unlikely turnaround with a goal worthy of the 300 that had gone before. Robert's corner seemed to be dropping behind him but he met it falling backwards and outside the six-yard box scoring with a precise header.

Perhaps a hat trick would have been gilding the lily, and Shearer's tap in from six yards minutes later was ruled to be off side. Blackburn were able to regroup and press home their numerical advantage and in the end the 10 men wilted.

Newcastle failed to clear a corner which Robson later claimed should not have been awarded, and the ball went out to Dunn on the edge of the penalty area. His shot looked to be too high before it was deflected by Robert into the path of the lurking Martin Taylor at the angle of the six-yard box and he side-footed home.

The fourth was equally untidy, Keith Gillespie heading into a heavily crowded goalmouth and Andy Griffin getting in Given's way to turn the ball over his own line with Yorke's looming presence adding to their confusion.

Taylor rounded it off with a free-header to complete Newcastle's misery, though Blackburn manager Graeme Souness was happy enough with the afternoon's events.

"We played some great stuff in the first half but then we had a sloppy 15 minutes," he said, "but we got back into top gear again and I was very happy with the quality of the football we played." Now Newcastle must put it all behind them and psych themselves up for an even more difficult task – the visit of Juventus in the Champions' League.

Blackburn Rovers 5
Dunn pen 5, 8, Taylor 55, 74, Griffin og 65

Newcastle United 2
Shearer pen 36, 48

Half-time: 2-1 Attendance: 27,307