Jonjo Shelvey returned from his five-game ban to mastermind Newcastle's progression to the FA Cup fourth round with a 3-1 replay victory over Birmingham.
The England international midfielder, who was convicted of using racially aggravated language towards Wolves midfielder Romain Saiss last month despite his denials, reminded manager Rafael Benitez of what he had been missing as the Magpies booked a trip to League One Oxford in the next round.
Matt Ritchie's early penalty and Yoan Gouffran's sixth goal of the season did the damage in front of a crowd of 34,896 as talk of a brewing transfer battle between Benitez and owner Mike Ashley was forgotten, although David Cotterill's late strike set up a tense conclusion before Ritchie struck at the death.
Newcastle United 3-1 Birmingham City
