Derby moved closer to the top of the Christmas form charts with their fourth win in six games at the expense of Newcastle at Pride Park today.

Horacio Carbonari and Deon Burton scored the goals which consolidated the Rams' climb out of the Premiership relegation zone and suggested a brighter New Year lies ahead.

But Bobby Robson's Magpies were outplayed for much of the match and festive frolics will be thinner on the ground at St James' Park.

The Rams capped one of their best 45-minute spells of the season when they went ahead through an unlikely source on 33 minutes.

Argentinian central defender Carbonari connected with Craig Burley's cross from the right flank and hammered a fierce shot past Shay Given for his first goal of the season.

And after coping with a bigger threat from the visitors in the early stages of the second half, Derby made the game safe after 73 minutes.

Malcolm Christie was fouled by Marcelino near the left corner of the Newcastle box and substitute Giorgi Kinkladze rolled the resulting free-kick to Burley, whose floated cross found Burton four yards out and with an unmissable opportunity to continue his side's dramatic recent revival.

It was no more than Derby deserved although after a first period in which Mart Poom did not have a single save to make they had had to live on their nerves as Newcastle threatened at the start of the second half.

Alan Shearer, so effectively marshalled by Riggott and Taribo West in the first period, was unfortunate after 50 minutes when his scrambled shot from inside a crowded six-yard box was fortuitously blocked on the line by Rory Delap.

And two minutes before Burton's goal Newcastle had two chances in a minute, with Riggott chasing back to head the ball clear of Kieron Dyer after his initial error had set Shearer free, then Clarence Acuna forcing a diving save out of Poom with his shot from the left.

Robson did have to cope without the considerable presence of Gary Speed and Nolberto Solano but the way his side finished up so undeserving of anything increased the questions which remain over some of his signings, such as Acuna and Bassedas, who failed to impress today.

Derby ran riot in the first half, with top scorer Christie wasting a glorious chance on the quarter-hour when he was put through by Riggott but fired across goal from the side of the box. And two minutes later Burton would have opened his account had his fierce right-foot shot not struck Marcelino in the Newcastle box.

Eranio and Burley also had their chances while Newcastle's solitary first-half chance saw Shearer head over.

Burton's second goal after an exciting second half left the Magpies with their wings well and truly clipped and they played out the final 15 minutes like a team already resigned to their fate. Once again it is the great management survivor, the Bald Eagle, who is flying high tonight.

Teams:

Derby: Poom, Carbonari, Riggott, West, Burley, Johnson, Eranio (Kinkladze 71), Powell, Delap, Christie, Burton (Morris 87).

Subs Not Used: Higginbotham, Martin, Oakes.

Booked: Eranio.

Goals: Carbonari 33, Burton 73.

Newcastle: Given (Harper 45), Barton, Marcelino, Griffin, Hughes, Stephen Caldwell (Glass 66), Acuna, Bassedas, Lee (Cordone 78), Dyer, Shearer.

Subs Not Used: Lua-Lua, Gavilan.

Booked: Lee, Marcelino.

Att: 29,978

Ref: R Harris (Oxford).