Southampton 4-0 Newcastle United

Graziano Pelle scored 55 goals in 66 matches for Feyenoord

• Saints move into top four with win

• Graziano Pelle takes season tally to four

• Fans call for sacking of Newcastle manager Alan Pardew

Striker Graziano Pelle scored twice as Southampton overwhelmed a poor Newcastle side at St Mary's Stadium.

The Italian grabbed his first in the sixth minute when he headed in Ryan Bertrand's cross from the left.

And he slotted his fourth of the season after a terrible misjudgement by Mike Williamson in the Newcastle defence.

Jack Cork then took advantage of another lapse in concentration by Williamson before Morgan Schneiderlin curled in a superb late fourth.

Cork and his team-mates were on top of Newcastle from the first whistle, but as good as they were, they helped in large part by shambolic defending.

The visiting backline looked jittery from the very first minute, when keeper Tim Krul's clearance almost went in off Saints striker Shane Long, and they were a wreck by the time of the third goal.

Chants calling for the sacking of manager Alan Pardew echoed around the stadium from Newcastle fans, while supporters of his former club - he managed Saints in 2009-10 - also joined in the mocking.

Watched by Magpies owner Mike Ashley, the result and performance will not have done his cause any good. Newcastle have yet to win this season and have now only picked up one victory in their last 12 Premier League outings.

In stark contrast, new Saints manager Ronald Koeman will not only be delighted with how the squad have responded to his management style, but also by how quickly his new recruits have settled in, among them Pelle.

Aside from the two goals he scored, the workrate of the Italian was admirable - helping out his team-mates in midfield in addition to his primary role as a target-man.

At 6ft 4in, he is quite an easy target to spot, and in the sixth minute he barely needed to leap as he powered in full-back Bertrand's cross.

The ex-Feyenoord player then took his season's tally to four when he slotted in from Dusan Tadic's square pass after Magpies centre-back Williamson failed to clear a long punt downfield.

It was day to forget for the former Portsmouth defender. Soon after the restart he reacted slowly to Steven Davis's through-ball, allowing Cork to nip in, round Krul and score the hosts' third.

Newcastle, who were denied a goal in the first half when Fraser Forster made a great stop to keep out Moussa Sissoko's shot, should have reduced the deficit but Frenchman Emmanuel Riviere fired wide from eight yards.

Instead, it was Saints who had the final say when France international Schneiderlin - one of the few Southampton jewels left unsold following the sale of four for almost £90m this summer - placed a brilliant 18-yard shot past the reach of Krul.

The one negative for Koeman was the head injury sustained by Republic of Ireland forward Long, who was injured in a collision with Krul and came off at half-time.

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman: "It wasn't perfect because we made some mistakes in the first half. We had a fantastic first goal but after 30 minutes, we didn't press like we did before.

"Our goalkeeper Fraser Forster did a great job on two occasions. After the third goal, Newcastle went down in a mental way. It was a good performance. Everything is going well."

Southampton's younger fans prepared for the game with a spot of Punch and Judy

Graziano Pelle was an excellent target-man for the Saints on Saturday

The Italian scores his second and doubles his side's lead after dreadful Newcastle defending

Southampton's Jack Cork celebrates scoring his first league goal for the club

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman enjoys a great finish from Morgan Schneiderlin

Check out the best photos from today's Premier League games on the BBC Sport Facebook page.