Newcastle earned a seventh consecutive league win as they beat Cardiff to strengthen their position at the top of the Championship.
Slack defending allowed Christian Atsu to give Newcastle an early lead, and Yoan Gouffran struck a second shortly before half-time.
Cardiff sparked hopes of a comeback when substitute Peter Whittingham scored with 13 minutes left.
But the hosts held on, meaning Cardiff remain 21st.
Second-placed Brighton cut Newcastle’s lead at the summit from six points back down to three with a 2-0 win at Bristol City.
Whatever the outcome at Ashton Gate, Newcastle kept the pressure on their rivals with a rampant start against Cardiff.
They were ahead after less than three minutes as Aleksandar Mitrovic found space in the Cardiff penalty area before teeing up Atsu.
Rafael Benitez’s men had chances to extend their advantage but Jonjo Shelvey’s shot was blocked by Sol Bamba, while Cardiff goalkeeper Ben Amos denied Paul Dummett.
However, that was simply delaying the inevitable as, moments before half-time, Gouffran’s low drive gave Newcastle the two-goal advantage their domination warranted.
Cardiff had chances to cut their deficit, with Craig Noone, Rickie Lambert and Bamba all failing to hit the target from promising positions.
Neil Warnock’s side eventually struck courtesy of Whittingham’s shot from the edge of the area, but their late efforts to rescue a point were in vain.
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