BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) Newcastle moved out of the relegation zone on Saturday following a 1-0 away win over Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Bournemouth enjoyed large spells of possession throughout but was ultimately undone by a Newcastle side defending in large numbers and relying on the counterattack.
''Today we couldn't play football,'' Newcastle manager Steve McClaren admitted. ''We caused our own problems and credit to Bournemouth, they kept coming and coming, played with intensity, created chances and we worked hard for our luck.''
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe made two changes to the team that lost at Southampton, recalling Joshua King and Junior Stanislas to the starting lineup.
King could have had a first-half brace but saw two efforts saved by goalkeeper Rob Elliot. The Newcastle stopper was equal to King's fifth-minute shot before another excellent save in the 21st.
Newcastle took the lead shortly afterward with its first meaningful foray into the Bournemouth half.
Georginio Wiljnaldum cut inside his marker before ushering the ball on to Ayoze Perez. The forward collected the ball before striking a shot that bobbled under Adam Federici with the half-hour mark fast approaching.
King found his nemesis in Elliot with the goalkeeper turning his header past the post in the 35th before tipping Dan Gosling's header onto the post and away.
The hosts were denied an equalizer within seconds of the restart when Elliot tipped Matt Ritchie's header over the crossbar and minutes later Stanislas shot high over the goal.
''Very pleased and proud of the performance,'' Howe said post-match despite a fourth consecutive league defeat. ''If we keep performing like that and creating as many chances as that we'll win games, there is no doubt about it.''
The loss sees Bournemouth replace Newcastle in the bottom three.
After 12 matches, Newcastle has 10 points, two more than Bournemouth.
