Leicester City completed a miserable week for Newcastle United as they condemned them to just their second home defeat under Bobby Robson.

United have not come from behind to win a game all season and the writing was on the wall from the moment veteran striker Tony Cottee gave the visitors a seventh-minute lead.

But it was left to midfielder Robbie Savage to seal the victory with a brilliant second-half strike as Leicester gained revenge for their home defeat by the Magpies in December.

Gary Speed saw a 15th-minute shot cleared off the line by Phil Gilchrist, Didier Domi hit the post with a header and Tim Flowers had to pull off a fine stop from City defender Frank Sinclair, but the men from Filbert Street were good value for the three points on a day when Newcastle were far below their best.

Much of the talk before kick-off had been of the reception Turkish international Muzzy Izzet could expect from the Newcastle fans, but in the event, he was ruled out with an Achilles injury and replaced by Sinclair.

Newcastle too made just one change as Steve Howey replaced the injured Nikos Dabizas in central defence, with Kieron Dyer handed a more advanced role in the absence of Duncan Ferguson.

Robson had called on his side to reward their fans for their loyalty with a rousing display, but the lead in their legs after a desperately disappointing week was clear to see.

Indeed, it took a Leicester side again forced to field defender Matt Elliott as an emergency striker just seven minutes to take the lead.

Andy Impey got the better of Aaron Hughes wide on the right and delivered an early cross into the box for Cottee to side-foot confidently past Shay Given, who despite getting a hand to the ball, could not keep it out.

Alan Shearer sent a header just over a minute later, but a general feeling of pessimism seemed to envelope St James' Park when Speed passed up a gilt-edged opportunity to get his side back into the game on 15 minutes.

Hughes latched on to Neil Lennon's poor back-pass and squared the ball for the Welshman, but Gilchrist got across to block his effort as he rolled the ball towards the bottom corner.

Impey again caused problems for the home defence on 29 minutes and it took a good covering header by Nolberto Solano to deny Steve Guppy, but Gerry Taggart was gifted a free header from the resulting corner which, fortunately for Newcastle, he put wide.

United stepped up a gear as the half wore on and Speed sent two headers wide before seeing a well-struck 37th-minute shot deflected wide by Impey as it sped towards the net.

Flowers preserved his side's lead in first-half injury time when he got down well to grasp Rob Lee's deflected shot at full stretch.

Newcastle's luck did not improve any as the second-half got underway, and they fell further behind when Savage produced a stunning finish to double his side's advantage.

Stefan Oakes played the ball over the top for the Welsh international to side-step Howey before firing a superb right-foot shot into the top corner.

Domi hit the post with a header after Solano had for once delivered a meaningful cross within seconds of Savage's strike, and the Peruvian was just inches away from getting a touch on Domi's driven ball into the box.

But Flowers was handed his most difficult task of the afternoon by his own defender Sinclair when he almost deflected Shearer's attempted pass to Lee into his own net.

Lee, wo scored his first goal in almost two years at Wembley last weekend, went close with a 71st-minute effort and full-back Warren Barton blasted a 20-yard shot just over eight minutes later, but it was very definitely one of those days for Newcastle.

Cottee could have doubled his personal tally in the dying seconds, but with just Given to beat, he shot into the side-netting.

Teams:

Newcastle: Given, Barton, Howey, Goma, Hughes (Robinson 68), Solano (Gavilan 68), Lee, Speed, Domi, Dyer (Antunes 80), Shearer.

Subs Not Used: Harper, Griffin.

Leicester: Flowers, Sinclair, Taggart, Gilchrist, Impey, Savage (Zagorakis 82), Lennon, Oakes (Marshall 68), Guppy, Cottee, Elliott.

Subs Not Used: Arphexad, Walsh, Dudfield.

Goals: Cottee 7, Savage 52.

Att: 36,426

Ref: U Rennie (Sheffield).