FULL-TIME: Newcastle United 3 Scunthorpe United 0

SCUNTHORPE United endured a tough evening as they were comfortably beaten at top of the table Newcastle.

Andy Carroll gave the hosts a ninth minute lead, rising highest to head home a Danny Guthrie corner in from the right that gave Joe Murphy little chance.

Thirteen minutes later it was 2-0, Peter Lovenkrands slotting cooly past the Iron keeper after being put through in behind the Scunthorpe back four.

The scoring was completed 10 minutes after half-time, on the back of a decent spell of Iron possession, Carroll netting his second of the game with an angled chip over the advancing Murphy.

United manager Nigel Adkins delivered on his promise to look at the 'big picture' when he made five changes for the trip to the North East.

Andrew Wright and Rob Jones were drafted into the back four, with David Mirfin not even in the squad and Cliff Byrne starting a five-game suspension.

Josh Wright and Michael O'Connor took the two central midfield berths, with Jonathan Forte starting up front.

The Magpies also mixed things up, with Jose Enrique and Wayne Routledge back from injury to take their place in the starting XI.

Despite all the changes, both sides started well, looking to take the initiative, with O'Connor so nearly releasing Forte on the counter, before Championship player of the month Lovenkrands forced a smart stop from Murphy after cutting in from the right.

After Carroll's opener, Lovenkrands nearly made it two in the 17th minute, but, following Jose Enrique's cross from the left, which was sloppily parried into his path, the Dane fired off the underside of the bar with the goal at his mercy.

Newcastle continued to make all of the running, asking some tough questions of a visiting defence in which Michael Raynes showed great maturity.

The former Stockport skipper blocked superbly from a Carroll effort, before Lovenkrands squandered a close range shot, Murphy saving well and smuggling the ball to safety.

In the 31st minute, Scunthorpe finally managed to make some noises as an attacking force, but Forte drove across the face of goal from the left following Paul Hayes' knockdown.

Buoyed by the chance, the Iron gradually grew into the game and began to assert themselves in the run-up to half-time.

And with no further score before the interval, they would have been pleased to go in at the break only two goals behind following that torrid opening.

Unfortunately, things didn't get much better in the second half, despite a solid start, with Carroll giving Newcastle a convincing advantage 10 minutes after the restart.

In truth, the second half was a much quieter affair than the all-action opening period, with both sides threatening sporadically.

To sum up the nature of the game, Scunthorpe's first shot on target did not come until the 79th minute, when substtute Martyn Woolford forced Newcastle stopper Steve Harper to routinely block low at his near post.

Jones then headed wide at the back post with minutes remaining as the game meandered toward an inevitable conclusion.

Despite the clock ticking, there was still time for Forte to pull a shot wide of the far post after breaking clear on the left and for Donal McDermott to fire straight at Harper from 18 yards.

The biggest questions after the final whistle will centre around whether Adkins was right to play a weakened side at the league leaders.

The only way to find out will be when the Iron take on Plymouth and Peterborough in the coming days.

TEAMS

NEWCASTLE: Harper, Simpson, Hall, Coloccini, Enrique (Kadar 75), Routledge, Nolan (C), Guthrie, Gutierrez, Lovenkrands (Ranger 82), Carroll (Best 75). Subs not used: Krul, Taylor, Pancrate, Butt.

SCUNTHORPE: Murphy, A Wright, Raynes, Jones (C), Williams, Thompson, J Wright (Woolford 72), O'Connor (Togwell 55), McCann, Hayes (McDermott 55), Forte. Subs not used: Lillis, Milne, Sparrow, Canavan.

ATTENDANCE: 39,301 (1,800 away approx).