Bristol Rovers came out on top of an early relegation showdown after beating Newport County 3-0 at The Memorial Stadium.

Yusuf Akhamrich's double and a late Fabrizio Cavegn goal sent Bristol four points clear of the relegation zone and made it eight away games without a win for The Exiles.

Akhamrich - a January loan signing from Tottenham Hotspur - opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a left-footed shot from outside the box into the top left corner.

The impressive 20-year-old doubled Rovers' lead in the 29th minute with a composed finish after being setup by Alfie Kilgour.

In the 88th minute, Newport were caught on the counter-attack after committing men forward to try and find a way back into the game.

Shaq Forde found Cavegn to make it 3-0 and conclude an impressive performance from the hosts in front of 8,591 supporters.

It was a miserable afternoon for the the County supporters who made the trip across the border.

They watched their side fail to register a shot on target, preventing Rovers keeper Brad Young from making a save throughout the whole game.

The Exiles came into the game a single place and point behind Bristol, with the chance to climb out of the relegation zone and leapfrog their rivals with a win.

But another weak defensive performance cost Newport boss Christian Fuchs, with his side having now conceded seven goals in two games.

Before the game, Fuchs said the result against Rovers would not define the season.

While this may be true, it served as another missed opportunity and a big blow to their League Two survival hopes, whilst providing a massive boost for Bristol's.