Newcastle defender Ryan Taylor's stunning strike inspired a 2-1 win over Everton at St. James' Park as the Magpies surged into third place in the Premier League on Saturday.
Alan Pardew's side has been the surprise package in English football's top-flight this season and its fairytale run continued when John Heitinga's own goal and Taylor's blistering effort saw off the struggling Toffees.
Jack Rodwell got one back for David Moyes' men, but that couldn't stop Newcastle extending its unbeaten run to 11 Premier League matches.
While Newcastle dreams of a Champions League spot, Everton is languishing two places above the relegation zone after its sixth defeat in 10 league matches.
Manchester United celebrated the 25th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson's appointment with a 1-0 win over Sunderland to close the gap on Premier League leader Manchester City.
Sunderland's United old boy Wes Brown gifted victory to his former manager, heading in an own goal on 45 minutes to settle a lacklustre encounter at a packed Old Trafford.
Ferguson, who was appointed on November 6, 1986, had earlier been given a guard of honour by both teams as he walked out onto the pitch before club officials revealed the North Stand had been renamed in his honour.
But the celebratory mood fell flat after kick-off as United struggled to break down Sunderland, managed by former United captain Steve Bruce.
Ferguson later said he believed his players had been affected by the emotion of the occasion.
“These emotional occasions — and it was emotional for me today — sometimes get through to them,” Ferguson told Sky Sports .
The win saw United close to within two points of City at the top of the league.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Chelsea ended its mini-slump with a first victory in three league games against Blackburn, Frank Lampard scoring the game's only goal to relieve the pressure on manager Andre Vilas Boas.
Lampard struck on 51 minutes, stooping to head home a neat cross from Branislav Ivanovic as Chelsea remained in fourth spot, six points off the lead.
Arsenal's recent revival continued to gather pace as the Londoners swatted aside West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at the Emirates. Robin van Persie — scorer of a brilliant hat-trick against Chelsea last week — put Arsenal ahead on 22 minutes, drilling in from close-range after good work from Theo Walcott and Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners made it 2-0 six minutes from half-time, Thomas Vermaelen scoring his first goal in almost two years after lashing home a van Persie cut-back.
Arsenal then turned on the style in the second-half, with Arteta completing a superb passing move to make it 3-0.
The win saw Arsene Wenger's team move up one place to sixth, leapfrogging Liverpool which was held to a 0-0 draw by newly promoted Swansea at Anfield.
The results : Arsenal 3 (Van Persie 22, Vermaelen 39, Arteta 74) bt West Brom 0; Aston Villa 3 (Bent 30, 62, Agbonlahor 48) bt Norwich 2 (Pilkington 25, Morison 77).
Blackburn 0 lost to Chelsea 1 (Lampard 51); Liverpool 0 drew with Swansea 0; Man Utd 1 (Brown 45-og) bt Sunderland 0.
Newcastle 2 (Heitinga 12-og, Taylor 29) bt Everton 1 (Rodwell 45).
