The Magpies took the lead three times through James Perch, a Jonny Evans own goal and Papiss Cisse only to be pegged back each time by Evans, Patrice Evra and Robin van Persie.And then, in injury time, Javier Hernandez struck a winner to make sure United took full advantage of cross-town rivals Manchester City’s loss at Sunderland.The conditions were against him but after Michael Carrick gifted possession to the visitors cheaply inside his own half, David De Gea should have done much better than meekly parry Demba Ba’s skimmer straight to Perch, who slotted in with ease.

United’s attempts to force their way back were not convincing but when Van Persie drilled a free-kick into the Newcastle box, Hernandez pounced on the loose ball. The Mexican’s shot was blocked by Tim Krul, only for Evans to slide into the empty net.

The debate over what now constitutes offside erupted after Evans turned a shot from United old-boy Danny Simpson past De Gea. As Graham Poll quickly confirmed referee Mike Dean had got it right, it can only be assumed Cisse remained ‘non-active’ despite pressurising Evans from an offside position.

For United, the spin-off was that the hairdryer treatment sparked a marked improvement and just before the hour Evra hauled them level for a second time when his low shot beat Krul to the bottom corner.

But the hosts went down yet again as Red Devils old-boy Gabriel Obertan streaked down the wing and delivered a perfect cross for Cisse to smash home. Newcastle held this lead for three minutes before Van Persie drove in his 16th goal of the season after Krul had saved his initial shot.

United fury at a handball claim against Fabricio Coloccini that went unheeded was replaced by anguish as both Van Persie and Hernandez went close. De Gea then got away with a near-calamitous misjudgement when he allowed Sammy Ameobi’s shot to roll past him, thinking it was going wide, only for it to hit a post and rebound straight back.

Hernandez was denied by Krul at the other end before Van Persie headed over as injury-time approached. Like two heavyweights slugging it out, swinging for all they were worth, their reliance on instinct total, there was one punch left and with it Hernandez knocked Newcastle out.

Bale’s previous hat-trick for the club almost dragged Spurs out of a disastrous Champions League mess when they were 4-0 down away to Inter Milan just over two years ago. This time he took Tottenham to fourth place and the prospect of Champions League football again.Just think, three seasons ago Villa were challenging Spurs for a place in Europe’s top tier.Now look at them. Successive big defeats, the worst goal difference in the Premier League at minus 21 and with a battle on their hands to avoid relegation.

Villa manager Paul Lambert insists his gamble of signing inexperienced players and building a young team will work out fine but what is currently on offer at Villa is a long, long way from the exciting promise of just a few years ago.

“The players will lift themselves, they’ll be fine,” said Lambert, who was on a five-game unbeaten run until an 8-0 loss at Chelsea preceded this disaster.

“You can’t dwell in football, whether you win or lose. You have to bounce back, there is no other way.”

Spurs have maintained their standards a lot better than Villa and when you have a talent like Bale, you have a hero to help scale the mountains. Bale’s three goals came in the 61st, 73rd and 84th minutes of a game Tottenham dominated but did not claim until the second half.

After the nightmare before Christmas, when Villa were hammered at Stamford Bridge, the biggest defeat in the club’s history, they were living on kindly Yuletide benevolence until Jermain Defoe scored Spurs’ first goal in the 57th minute. Then Bale took over.

“He is up there with the best in the world, he’s showing tremendous skills and talent. He’s improving every game,” said Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas. “His personality is wonderful. He’s going through an excellent moment of his professional and personal life and we are benefiting.

“Bale’s finishing is very accurate, he has been prolific in front of goal this season. His left foot is wonderful and the power and direction he applies on the ball is wonderful too.”

Villas-Boas denied he is about to sign Dutch international Wesley Sneijder from Inter Milan and is confident that Bale will not be leaving the club. “I have no concerns about Bale leaving in the January transfer window,” he said. “In England there is no release clauses and a player of this dimension has a market value that is not obtainable to most of the clubs.”

Fifteen corners, four saves from Brad Guzan and two blocks by Ciaran Clark and Nathan Baker in the first half had left Spurs wondering whether they would ever make the breakthrough. Villa were dreadful but had to be grateful that this time they were not up against a team quite as savage as Chelsea.

“We mentioned between us that a young Villa team had lost heavily at Chelsea,” said Villas-Boas. “It was important to get that first goal because we knew the effect it could have emotionally.”

Defoe took Kyle Naughton’s pass to score his 14th goal of the season and Spurs’ thinking was spot on. When Christian Benteke passed badly and Spurs broke away to counter, Clarke became the second Villa player to give the ball away and Bale was in for his first goal.

Aaron Lennon set up his second to make it 3-0 and substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson followed suit allowing Bale to complete his hat-trick with his 10th goal of the season.

Aston Villa: Guzan, Lowton, Herd, Clark, Baker (Ireland 45), Bennett, Westwood (Albrighton 46), El Ahmadi, Delph, Holman, Benteke.

Subs Not Used: Given, Bowery, Bannan, Lichaj, Carruthers.

Booked: Delph.

Tottenham: Lloris, Walker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Naughton, Lennon, Dembele (Parker 66), Sandro, Bale (Townsend 85), Defoe, Adebayor (Sigurdsson 79).

Subs Not Used: Friedel, Dawson, Livermore, Caulker.

Goals: Defoe 57, Bale 61, 73, 84.

Att: 36,863

Ref: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).

Watch Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur match video

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Stoke City 3 Liverpool 1 : Lost season for Reds Brendan Rodgers cant handle big club like Liverpool

Defeat in the Potteries is nothing new for Liverpool, but the manner of their latest reverse should give manager Brendan Rodgers plenty of cause for concern.

This was the first time in 13 months and 44 games that Stoke have scored more than twice in the league. Worryingly for Liverpool, it could have been even worse.

If Saturday’s emphatic 4-0 win over Fulham, the biggest of Rodgers’ reign, lifted the mood around Anfield, here was a result to underline the  inconsistency that has epitomised his time in charge at Anfield.

He has the same record after 19 games as the much-maligned Roy Hodgson, who was sacked after his next match. Hodgson, Rafael Benitez and Kenny Dalglish all failed to deliver Liverpool’s first Premier League win at Stoke and on Wednesday it was the turn of Rodgers.

Coincidentally, he was manager of Swansea when the Potters kicked off their current 16-game unbeaten run at home with victory over the Welsh side in February.

He couldn’t have asked for a better start, Steven Gerrard converting the first penalty Liverpool have been awarded in 31 games inside the first two minutes. But two goals from  boyhood Everton fan Jon Walters and one from a rejuvenated Kenwyne Jones saw Stoke go above their opponents in the table.

‘We conceded some soft goals after a great start and we’ve got to do better than that,’ admitted Rodgers. ‘When you come places like this you have to defend better or you’ll get nothing — and we probably deserved nothing.

‘The biggest thing for the group is our consistency. You’ve got to put a run of games together otherwise you’re continually taking two steps forward and one back. We’ve got an awful lot of work to do.’

Stoke were level in the sixth minute. Shawcross floated a long ball from the back and Jones got above Daniel Agger to flick on. There would have been little danger had Skrtel not slipped, allowing Walters to beat Pepe Reina with a clinical finish.

The Britannia was bouncing and Jones raised the noise level even higher when he put Stoke in front six minutes later, meeting Geoff Cameron’s inswinging corner from the left with a flicked header.

Stoke’s third in the 49th minute was typically direct. Jones headed on Andy Wilkinson’s long throw and Walters controlled the ball on his chest before hooking it right-footed beyond Reina.

It means Walters is now Stoke’s joint all-time top scorer in the Premier League with Ricardo Fuller on 18 goals.

‘It was a great result and a great performance,’ said Tony Pulis. ‘The response from going a goal down was fantastic. We’ve played games where we’ve created more chances and finished 0-0, and we had opportunities which you hope players at this level would take.

‘I’ve just told the players that our toughest game this week will be Southampton at the weekend because of the expectations around the place.’

You suspect that Stoke, unlike Liverpool, will not allow their good work to go to waste so easily.

Stoke City: Begovic, Cameron, Shawcross, Huth, Wilkinson, Kightly (Whitehead 70) Nzonzi, Whelan, Etherington (Shotton 82), Walters, Jones (Crouch 78).

Subs not used: Sorensen, Adam, Upson, Jerome.

Goals: Walters 5, 49, Jones 12.

Booked: Shawcross, Cameron, Whelan.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Jose Enrique, Gerrard, Lucas (Henderson 59), Downing (Cole 77), Shelvey, Suso (Sterling 46), Suarez.

Subs not used: Jones, Coates, Carragher, Allen.

Goal: Gerrard (pen) 2.

Booked: Suarez.

Referee: Howard Webb.

Attendance: 27,490.

Watch Stoke City vs Liverpool match video

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Barclays Premier League game week 19 other Results

Sunderland 1 – 0 Manchester City

Reading 0 – 0 Swansea City

Norwich City 0 – 1 Chelsea

Everton 2 – 1 Wigan Athletic

Fulham 1 – 1 Southampton

Queens Park Rangers 1 – 2 West Bromwich Albion

Arsenal v. West Ham United – Postponed

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