Watch Highlight Fulham Beaten Newcastle By The 5 - 2

Clint Dempsey scored a hat-trick as Fulham stunned Newcastle in an extraordinary game at Craven Cottage.

Danny Guthrie's emphatic strike put Newcastle ahead, before Danny Murphy's penalty kickstarted Fulham's comeback.

Dempsey bundled in his first and then finished off a blistering counter-attack before Bobby Zamora scored another penalty to make it 4-1.

Hatem Ben Arfa's individual effort gave Newcastle hope, but Dempsey secured the points with a fine run and finish.

This remarkable match was always likely to hinge on how well Newcastle would cope without their African stars - namely Cheick Tiote and Demba Ba - both of whom have been fundamental to the Magpies' successful campaign.

And, judging by their superiority throughout the first 45 minutes, it was a test they seemed well equipped to handle.

Ben Arfa, handed a start in the absence of Ba, featured on the right side of a front three that also contained Shola Ameobi and Leon Best, and the Frenchman was central to Newcastle's numerous first-half attacks.

But Newcastle should have gone ahead when Fabricio Coloccini walzed into the box unmarked only to stab his effort straight at Stockdale from point-blank range.



With Newcastle eager to re-establish their lead, they were found outnumbered at the back as Andy Johnson led a pacy counter-attack.

With Zamora to his right, Johnson played in the England striker, whose shot was parried to Dempsey to turn in from close-range.

Fulham were in the ascendancy at this stage, exposing Newcastle with every attack and the American soon put daylight between the sides with Fulham's third.

Set free down the right by Zamora, Dempsey fired low into the bottom corner to make it 3-1.

Newcastle were shell-shocked and had no answer to Fulham's second-half onslaught - and the home side's incessant pressure meant a fourth goal was never far away - and it came courtesy of another penalty.

With Mike Williamson unable to stop Johnson driving into a shooting position, the former Crystal Palace striker was brought down by Krul who, like Santon earlier in the game, was lucky to escape with a yellow card. But the real punishment came when Zamora, watched by England coach Fabio Capello, hammered the penalty down the middle.

Ben Arfa, Newcastle's best performer on another dismal trip to London for the Magpies, closed to gap to two goals again when he cut in from the right and fired a low shot inside the near post.

But the afternoon belonged to Fulham, and particularly the sedulous Dempsey, who darted between Williamson and Coloccini to latch onto Murphy's long ball and slot in his hat-trick goal.