NEWCASTLE, England — Fabian Schar scored the first goals of his Newcastle career to drag Rafael Benitez's men out of the Premier League relegation zone with a 3-0 home victory over Cardiff on Saturday.

The Switzerland defender, signed from Deportivo La Coruna in the off season, opened the scoring after a spectacular solo run from the back in the 24th minute.

Fellow defender Jamaal Lascelles then rose to flick on Matt Ritchie's corner in the 63rd minute and there was Schar again, arriving at the far post to slot the ball home.

Relegation rival Cardiff rallied as it attempted to find a way back into the game, but Ayoze Perez made it 3-0 in stoppage time after rounding off a speedy counter attack as Newcastle claimed a second league win in 10 attempts.

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