Hello and welcome to live text coverage of this afternoon's Premier League clash between Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers.

Full-time: Newcastle United 3-1 Blackburn Rovers. A Demba Ba hat-trick secures all three points for Newcastle and heaps more pressure on Steve Kean and his Blackburn team.

Michel Salgado is booked for protestations to the ref about time-wasting, and Sylvain Marveaux slams the ball well over from a Newcastle corner.

Best looks for the penalty after Ben Arfa plays him in, but the ball got away from him as Salgado closed in and now decision is given in favour of the Magpies striker.

Best gets the ball tangled between his feet with his back to goal in the box and, as it gets played out, Tiote's looped delivery out on the Newcastle right is too close to Robinson and is gathered with ease.

We are going to have four minutes of stoppage time at the end of the match.

Tim Krul comes out like a flash to collect a dangerous through-ball which Jason Roberts was looking to take full advantage of.

Ben Arfa receives the ball well, but sends a curling effort well over Paul Robinson's bar. There's been an uneasy mixture of finishing from Newcastle's frontment today.

For ten-men, Blackburn are holding firm but they have been unable to trouble Tim Krul sufficiently throughout.

Newcastle sub: Jonas Gutierrez comes off for Sylvain Marveaux.

Newcastle playing keep-ball at the moment, which could be a dangerous tactic given that they only hold a two-goal lead.

Blackburn sub: Vince Grella comes on for Yakubu to add much-needed defensive solidity.

Best makes a clever run into the box, before turning inside with the ball and lashing it well over Robinson's bar. Should have done better.

Newcastle's tails well and truely up now, as Gutierrez cuts in from the left but greedily attempts a half-hearted strike at goal when better options were available.

A clinical move sees Ben Arfa tee up Best inside the Blackburn box, but Rovers manage to scramble the ball away before Best can pull the trigger.

Newcastle sub: Hat-trick hero Demba Ba comes off for the returning Hatem Ben Arfa. And the cheers ring out around St James Park for both players.

The ball finds it way back out to Yohan Cabaye whose drilled effort from 30 yards out is straight into Paul Robinson's midriff.

A clash between Michel Salgado and Demba Ba at the Blackburn back post sees both players go down in a heap requiring medical treatment.

And it goes from bad to worse for Blackburn as Olsson receives his marching orders for a second bookable offence - the first booking for foul language and the second for a cynical tug of the shirt.

Gabriel Obertan is allowed the freedom of the Blackburn half to run at their defence and produce a shot, after cutting in, that only sails just wide of Robinson's top corner.

Steven N'Zonzi is the second Blackburn player to receive a yellow, and Ryan Taylor's free-kick is whipped just wide of Robinson's far post.