Newcastle's unlikely late charge for Europe gathered pace as skipper Alan Shearer grabbed a double to kill off Wigan by 3-1 this afternoon.
A 27th-minute penalty and a second goal on 67 minutes took the 35-year-old's tally for the season to 13 ahead of Monday's trip to relegated neighbours Sunderland, where he will hope to sign off that particular rivalry in style.
But more importantly, the goals helped to secure a third successive Barclays Premiership victory which took Newcastle level on points with today's visitors.
Wigan had gone in front courtesy of Jimmy Bullard's superb fifth-minute free-kick, but they lost captain Arjan De Zeeuw, central defensive partner Matt Jackson and Lee McCulloch to injury before the break, and by that time they were already on the back foot.
Shearer's spot-kick had levelled the scores, and Titus Bramble headed the home side in front nine minutes before half-time as the Magpies inflicted a first away league defeat in seven on their opponents in front of a crowd of 52,302.
Newcastle's all-time leading scorer led out the home side as the home fans mulled over reports claiming Middlesbrough had emerged as competitors for long-term target Martin O'Neill in the management stakes should Steve McClaren be appointed the next England boss.
Shearer and Newcastle began the match with revenge in mind.
Wigan inflicted a league defeat on the Magpies at the JJB Stadium in October, when a Shearer header was wrongly disallowed, while a Carling Cup defeat by what was effectively Paul Jewell's reserve side gave former boss Graeme Souness a nudge towards the sack.
But neither game could possibly have been as eventful as what unfolded inside the opening 45 minutes at St James Park.
By half-time, five substitutes had been used, none of them by choice, and three goals had been scored, and the Magpies were just about on top.
To put themselves in that position, they had had to stage a fightback following Bullard's superb fifth-minute free-kick which left Shay Given rooted to the spot.
Shola Ameobi should have levelled when presented with an open goal within three minutes, but he headed wide, perhaps in surprise at the ball reaching him as goalkeeper John Filan and defender De Zeeuw both missed out.
The striker was then involved in the incident which was to end his own afternoon and eventually that of Jackson.
Ameobi, Jackson and Filan all collided as the defender headed Nolberto Solano's cross just wide of his own goal.
Ameobi departed with a cut mouth before being replaced by Michael Chopra and his marker followed shortly afterwards with a knee problem.
De Zeeuw's exit with a fractured collar bone following a robust challenge by Stephen Carr compounded Wigan's woes and opened the door for the home side.
Reto Ziegler's 27th-minute nudge on Chopra prompted referee Uriah Rennie to point to the spot and Shearer duly converted, and Newcastle were in front nine minutes later when the unmarked Bramble powered home a Solano corner.
Bullard and Graham Kavanagh both whistled shots just wide in injury time - and there was plenty of it with Lee Bowyer and McCulloch also having limped off.
Chopra almost made Ziegler pay for allowing himself to be caught in possession within two minutes of the restart, with substitute Leighton Baines gratefully conceding a corner from Solano's dangerous cross.
Solano, Kieron Dyer and Charles N'Zogbia, who had caused Wigan serious problems before the break, continued in a similar vein after it, only Paul Scharner's desperate lunge and an offside flag denied Shearer his second goal on 54 minutes.
Wigan were struggling to make an impression, and Kavanagh was fortunate to escape with a yellow card after an ugly challenge on Dyer after 59 minutes.
Substitute Henri Camara kept Given on his toes with a long-range shot, while Filan had to pull off a fine save to deny Solano on 64 minutes, and he was left helpless seconds later.
Chopra's through-ball was perfectly-timed to allow Shearer to beat the offside trap, and he rounded the goalkeeper to fire home.
The home fans rose in anticipation of a hat-trick six minutes later when Chopra once again fed Shearer, but his low shot flew across goal as the flag went up with the visitors wilting by the second.
Given had to save from Bullard on 77 minutes and David Thompson seven minutes later, but Wigan's brave resistance was to count for nothing.
