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Sir Alex Ferguson saluted Utd's gritty recovery.

“It wasn’t a great performance,” he said.

“We got off to a terrible start and Newcastle were pumped up for it. We expected that and we should have dealt with it better.

“Newcastle knew it was a massive game for them and went about their job in the right way. They put some good crosses in.

“We faced a different challenge tonight. Newcastle were aggressive and tackled everywhere. Credit to them because they put a lot into their game.

“They were a bit fortuitous with goal. Edwin says himself he made a mess of it and they had a couple of near things after that. We could have been 2-0 down actually. Martins hit one by the post for instance. It was a hairy spell for us.

“Losing that record was going to happen some time and it is out of the road now.

“Coming from 1-0 down was a good result for us. It required a lot of grit. Our football has been better and maybe we were careless with our passing of the ball.

“If anyone was going to get us back into game it was Wayne Rooney. He has a good record at Newcastle.

“We have got an emphatic victory in the sense we came from 1-0 down and then controlled the second half.”

United goes 7 up

George Caulkin

Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in a bizarre confrontation in the players’ tunnel at St James’ Park last night as Manchester United extended their lead at the top of the Barclays Premier League. Goals from Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov lifted the champions seven points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool, although their 2-1 victory over Newcastle United was noteworthy for other reasons.

Steven Taylor, the Newcastle defender, had been cautioned for raising an arm against Ronaldo in the 45th minute, an incident that caused fury in the United dugout and prompted Rio Ferdinand, their captain, to be booked for dissent. Sir Alex Ferguson’s backroom staff clearly felt that Taylor should have been dismissed for his challenge.

The recriminations continued at half-time, with witnesses alleging that Ronaldo, who was walking behind Taylor back to the dressing-rooms, called the England Under-21 defender “a rubbish footballer”. Taylor responded by describing Ronaldo as “ugly” and, with the argument threatening to escalate, Ferdinand and Steve Bennett, the referee, intervened to placate the pair.

The episode was unusual, as was the sight of Edwin van der Sar, the United goalkeeper, conceding a ninth-minute goal, but neither could prevent Ferguson’s side from claiming their eleventh league win in succession.

Newcastle went ahead courtesy of Peter Lovenkrands and a dreadful mistake by Van der Sar, whose goal was finally breached after 1,311 minutes of Premier League activity. It was the first he had conceded since Samir Nasri beat him during Arsenal’s 2-1 victory on November 8, denying the Dutchman the opportunity to beat the European league record.

After fine work from Obafemi Martins and José Enrique down Newcastle’s left flank, Jonas Gutiérrez shot from distance and although Van der Sar reacted smartly to the danger, his save was meek, pushing the ball out to the feet of Lovenkrands, who tapped in from close range.

The response from Ferguson’s players was typically swift. In the 20th minute, Newcastle’s defence was torn apart by a sweeping move featuring John O’Shea and Park Ji Sung before Rooney turned on the ball and shot adroitly. Having recovered from the virus that kept him out of the Carling Cup final on Sunday, the England forward now restored his side to something approaching good health.
The game remained open and fluid, with Martins shooting into the side-netting, but United recovered from their sluggish start. They had a strong claim for a penalty when Berbatov struck the ball against Sébastien Bassong, while Rooney had a firm effort deflected for a corner and Nemanja Vidic spurned a free header.

The interval brought the Ronaldo controversy, but United, unlike their opponents, did not allow their concentration to wander. They grasped the lead in the 56th minute, when Ryan Taylor met a long ball from Vidic — who had received treatment for a head wound after Martins caught him with an elbow — with his chest. The ball ran free, allowing Berbatov to shoot beyond Steve Harper with ease.

Rooney has now scored in five consecutive league games,









Clive Hetherington
From St. James' Park

FULL-TIME That’s it. Manchester United have restored their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League, with a game in hand on nearest rivals Chelsea and Liverpool, thanks to a 2-1 win at relegation-threatened Newcastle with goals from Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov after Peter Lovenkrands had given the home side the lead. It’s the Red Devils’ 11th straight Premier League win, equalling their best run.
90mins Ryan Giggs is on for Berbatov, who is in no hurry to get off, much to the chagrin of the home fans.
84mins Van der Sar's mettle is tested again, this time by Martins, who aims at the opposite corner of the net but is as frustrated as Lovenkrands.
83mins Lovenkrands' left-foot hit forces a near-post save from van der Sar, who is looking a lot more assured than he was earlier in proceedings.
82mins Smith's game is over as rookie striker Kazenga LuaLua is thrown on for Newcastle.
79mins Harper sprints from goal to beat Ronaldo on the United left and Rooney chips over the unguarded goal.
77mins Newcastle make a change, striker Andy Carroll taking the place of a disconsolate Ryan Taylor.
72mins The champions are in full flow now. Rooney finds Ronaldo, who holds the ball up before setting up Berbatov, whose 20-yarder is turned over by Harper.
69mins A neatly-constructed move almost brings another goal for the visitors. Ronaldo supplies Park, who picks out Rooney on the left, but Harper gets down well to save the shot.
63mins Man United win a corner on the right and Carrick takes. Vidic meets it with a firm header and Harper tips over, but the whistle has blown anyway for an infringement.
55mins GOAL! More trouble for the Taylors - this time Ryan - as Man United grab the lead. His attempt to chest the ball back to keeper Harper falls short and Park nips in to help it on to Berbatov, who slots home.
52mins Van der Sar has to charge from his goal to snuff out the danger posed by the onrushing Lovenkrands. The Dutchman gets there first and he really is flying as he keeps possession and races out of his box before clearing.
50mins Vidic is unhappy after an aerial duel with Martins, the Man United defender claiming he was on the receiving end of an elbow, but it looked accidental.
46mins We're underway again and the atmosphere is nicely charged after events just before the break.
HALF-TIME It's 1-1 at the break and as the teams come off Ferdinand is booked for dissent.
45mins There's a major flashpoint as half-time approaches. Steven Taylor wildly swings an arm at Ronaldo near the touchline and deep in the Red Devils' half. Ferdinand races 30 yards to remonstrate with Taylor, who escapes with a booking as Fergie fumes on the touchline.
44mins And here's another rarity. Patrice Evra crosses from the left, Park shoots - and Rooney blocks the goal-bound effort.
41mins Here's a collector's item - an embarrassing miskick in front of goal by Rooney. The Toon Army enjoyed that as well!
38mins Vidic misses a sitter. Carrick's corner is allowed to drift across goal - with keeper Steve Harper rooted to his line - but Vidic somehow heads wide.
37mins Despite a few desperate scrapes, you sense that Man United are starting to gain the upper hand as they mount a period of sustained pressure.
35mins Rooney is dumped on his backside by a forceful but fair challenge from Geremi.
31mins The home fans are taunting the visitors with chants of "dodgy keeper''. Now there's irony for you.
30mins Van der Sar comes to punch Ryan Taylor's left-wing corner in no man's land and the ball breaks loose. It comes to Martins and, with van der Sar still out of his goal, the shot is blocked by the vigilant Rio Ferdinand.
22mins Berbatov's attempt hits the hand of Sebastien Bassong in the box, but there's no penalty.
20mins GOAL! Normal service resumed. It's 1-1 and it's Rooney. John O'Shea delivers and the England striker turns delighfully to shoot, his finish flicking off Steven Taylor on its way in.
18mins Vidic is booked by referee Steve Bennett for a foul on Martins, adjudged to be on the edge of the box. The home fans cry penalty.
13mins It should be 2-0 to the Magpies as Lovenkrands feeds Martins but he blazes wide.
10mins Bang goes van der Sar's hopes of establishing a new European league record. It's the first goal he's conceded in 1,311 minutes.
9mins GOAL! Well, would you believe it. Newcastle take the lead. Jonas Gutierrez's cross-cum-shot is spilled by van der Sar and Peter Lovenkrands taps home.
4mins The customary boos for Cristiano Ronaldo's first touch turn to cheers when Smith wins possession against his old club.
2mins Rooney is immediately prowling with predatory intent, but it's Obafemi Martins with the first shot on goal, which whistles wide from distance.
19.44 There's a dusting of snow on the pitch but it shouldn't cause any problems for the sides.
19.35 Oh, incidentally, forgot to mention that Newcastle haven’t won in their last five home games in all competitions.
19.34 Ominously, Newcastle have failed to record a win against United in their last 15 League and Cup clashes. Even more ominously, this is the 13th – unlucky for some – anniversary of the night Eric Cantona’s solitary strike swung the title race United’s way as Kevin Keegan’s Magpies infamously frittered away their 12-point lead.
19.33 Newcastle are bereft in midfield. Former Manchester United stalwart Nicky Butt can only make the bench due to the knee injury he picked up in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Bolton, while Damien Duff, who sat out the game with a calf problem, is still sidelined and Kevin Nolan serves the second of a three-match ban. So ex-United man Alan Smith makes his first start this season and Geremi is also recalled, with striker Shola Ameobi among the substitutes.
19.32 Wayne Rooney has shaken off a virus and returns to a Red Devils’ line-up that features seven changes to the one that started Sunday’s Wembley shoot-out victory over Tottenham. Also back are Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, Ji-Sung Park and Dimitar Berbatov.
19.31 Good evening from a characteristically cold, wet – and in parts snowy – Newcastle where Manchester United are back in Toon. With the Carling Cup safely tucked in Fergie’s swag bag, all the talk - outside Old Trafford at least - is of an unprecedented ‘quintuple’. But according to United manager Sir Alex, March and April are the months where titles are won and lost. So, if that’s the case, this is where it all begins.











Berbatov gives United a good look

Newcastle United 1 Manchester United 2

By Sam Wallace



When Sir Alex Ferguson comes to St James' Park he is accustomed to saying something mildly patronising about the locals' passion for their club, patting them on the head and then taking all three points. At least last night Newcastle United put up something resembling a fight but they still ended it just one more subjugated corner of Ferguson's English football empire.

With 11 games left, time is running out for those who have pretences of catching the champions, and for those who can barely live with them there is always the name-calling route. Steven Taylor's half-time retort to Cristiano Ronaldo – "Yeah, but you're ugly" – was, on the grand scale of witty comebacks, more Vicky Pollard than Oscar Wilde. Yet, in its own inarticulate way, it summed up the helplessness that the rest of the League is experiencing in the face of United's onslaught.

Are United feeling the pressure from Chelsea and Liverpool's wins on Tuesday night? It did not look like it. Can they still be caught now that their seven-point lead, not forgetting that game in hand, has been restored? The chances look slim. Peter Lovenkrands' ninth minute goal, as well as Newcastle's early energy, had the champions rattled but when they regained their composure they swatted aside the Geordies.

Wayne Rooney was outstanding, scoring the first and then hitting the pass that caused the chaos in Newcastle's defence which led to the second from Dimitar Berbatov. Only in defence did Ferguson's team look occasionally hesitant, especially in Newcastle's good spell in the first half when, even the Manchester United manager admitted, Edwin van der Sar made a "mess" in the lead up to Lovenkrands' goal. His unbeaten record went with a whimper.

Van der Sar's run of consecutive 1,311 minutes without conceding in the League ended when he dropped Jonas Gutierrez's shot at the feet of Lovenkrands for a tap-in. Last season, Ferguson's team scored 11 goals in their two League games against Newcastle so going one behind was not what they had planned. Yet by the 56th minute they were in the lead and cruising.

As for Newcastle, this was the latest chapter in an increasingly desperate season which, albeit more dignified than last season's 6-0 (at Old Trafford) and 5-1 (at home) defeat, could yet end in relegation. They are one point and two places above the relegation zone in 16th place. They cannot afford to lose their next game away at Hull on 14 March because their following two games are against Arsenal and Chelsea which means by the time they play Stoke on 11 April they could well be in the bottom three.

Steven Taylor's decision to aim a punch at Ronaldo in the minutes before half-time was stupid. There is always a temptation to lose one's temper with Ronaldo, but the arm to Ronaldo's head that Taylor landed was inexcusable. He followed it up by sweeping Michael Carrick off his feet and it is a miracle Steve Bennett did not dismiss him. As for Taylor's tunnel dispute with Ronaldo it is highly unlikely that he could ever persuade Manchester United's superstar that he is ugly. Ronaldo has long had the demeanour of a bloke who likes what he sees when he looks in the mirror.

Strangely, amid all the excitement of those early minutes when Newcastle took the game to United there was a truly ugly moment involving Alan Smith. The Manchester United old boy launched a terrible two-footed tackle at Ronaldo which in any other circumstances would have had Ferguson's players baying for punishment. Instead they just looked shocked, embarrassed even, that an old acquaintance had done that.

It was Smith's first start since the last match of last season, against Everton, and his influence soon waned. For a while Obafemi Martins had the beating of Nemanja Vidic, drawing the Serbian into a booking. Then Rooney equalised on 20 minutes. John O'Shea to Park Ji-Sung down the left, the ball cut back to Rooney who left Fabricio Coloccini standing before hitting his shot. A slight deflection off Steven Taylor and it was past Steve Harper.

It was just 11 minutes into the second half when Ryan Taylor made a terrible hash of chesting a long ball from Rooney back to Harper. Instead Taylor just cushioned the ball into the stride of Park, just behind him, and the Korean midfielder pushed it past Harper. Berbatov was at the back post to stroke the ball into the goal.

Only one team in it after that. Later, when Harper was stranded having come out to stop Ronaldo, Rooney failed to hit the target with his lob. On the touchline, Ferguson was enraged, flapping his arms in anger. He needed not have worried. His team are beginning to look unstoppable in this title race – even when they have to win ugly.

Goals: Lovenkrands (9) 1-0; Rooney (20) 1-1; Berbatov (56) 1-2.

Newcastle United (4-4-1-1): Harper; S Taylor, Coloccini, Bassong, Enrique; R Taylor (Carroll, 77), Smith (LuaLua, 82), Geremi, Gutierrez; Lovenkrands; Martins. Substitutes not used: Krul (gk), Cacapa, Butt, Ameobi, Edgar.

Manchester United (4-4-2): Van der Sar; O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Fletcher, Carrick, Park; Berbatov (Giggs, 89), Rooney. Substitutes not used: Foster (gk), Anderson, Scholes, Evans, Tevez, Eckersley.

Referee: S Bennett (Kent).

Booked: Newcastle United S Taylor; Manchester United: Vidic, Ferdinand.

Man of the match: Ferdinand.

Attendance: 51,636.
















United win but Edwin van der Sar beaten at last
The clean sheets have ended but the clean sweep of trophies remains thrillingly in Manchester United sights.
By Henry Winter at St James Park

Edwin van der Sar was finally beaten after 1311 minutes, Peter Lovenkrands pouncing, but the Big Red Machine rolls on. Goals from the outstanding Wayne Rooney, his ninth in 10 league games against Newcastle, and Dimitar Berbatov restored the champions’ seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

The Red Devils had made a trip to the Angel of the North in the afternoon, looking around this magnificent local landmark, before entering another famous spot on the Tyneside landscape. Initially, Sir Alex Ferguson’s champions ran into an ambush as Newcastle took the lead and fought impressively hard, although Steven Taylor overstepped the mark. Newcastle’s right-back should have been dismissed for whacking Cristiano Ronaldo.

Van der Sar had needed to survive 88 minutes to break the European record of 1390 minutes held by Danny Verlinden, who set the mark with Club Bruges in 1990. United’s keeper managed only nine minutes when Newcastle tore the champions’ defence apart and, amazingly given the Dutchman’s recent infallibility, forced a rare mistake.

In mitigation, Van der Sar had been left exposed by his defence. Obafemi Martins, at times in electric form, began the move, working the ball to Jose Enrique, Newcastle’s left-back who had pushed high up the pitch, racing towards an expectant Gallowgate.

The Spaniard laid the ball back to Jonas Gutierrez, whose innate sense of adventure meant only one response. Gutierrez nudged the ball forward and then let fly, the ball bouncing awkwardly in front of Van der Sar, spinning like an off-break.

This was still routine stuff for such an experienced keeper, a sportsman at the peak of his powers. Perhaps surprised to be tested, the Dutchman spilled the deviating ball and there was the unmarked Lovenkrands playing the poacher from close range, stroking the loose ball home in front of a jubilant Gallowgate.

As a goalkeeping record dissolved, a noise-making mark was surely set. St James’ Park raised the roof, their fans shouting their delight. Mike Ashley may still be estranged from most Newcastle supporters but he has certainly embraced their dress code. Jacketless in the cold, Ashley leapt into the air, joining the wild celebrations. The Gallowgate, meanwhile, was busy taunting Van der Sar with chants of "dodgy keeper’’, slightly harsh on a professional whose 14 previous league games had produced clean sheets.

Yet such a perfectionist as Van der Sar will have been furious with himself for such sloppiness. He could have pointed out to his defence to pick up Lovenkrands, a model of swift, incisive movement throughout a free-flowing gripping first half. With the champions momentarily stunned, Newcastle could have struck again, Lovenkrands and Martins combining superbly with the Nigerian firing just wide.

Newcastle then screamed for a red card for Nemanja Vidic, who had brought down Martins as the livewire No 9 was about to enter the champions’ penalty area. Fortunately for Vidic, Rio Ferdinand was covering and Bennett produced only a yellow. Ryan Taylor’s free-kick also failed to exact full punishment, disappearing aimlessly into the Gallowgate.

Their defence was eventually to let them down but Newcastle were pushing forward well. This was the type of football that St James’ craved, the team playing with pride in the black-and-white shirt, attacking with pace and width. Martins looked really interested. Lovenkrands buzzed everywhere. Alan Smith, making his first start of the season, made some important tackles in midfield.

And yet…Ferguson’s side have such self-belief, such quality that red waves were bound to crash across Newcastle, washing away a flawed defence. It soon arrived, the move accelerated by Vidic through the middle, the Serbian international finding Rooney. The England international, who loves playing against Newcastle’s defence, transferred the ball out first time to John O’Shea on the right. The Irishman played a 1-2 with Park Ji-sung and stroked the ball back to Rooney, who had entered the area.

Fabricio Coloccini stood behind him, the Argentinian barring the way but Rooney boasts the key to most locks. Controlling O’Shea’s pass with his right foot, Rooney let the ball roll across him and then he swivelled, completely wrong-footing Coloccini. Rooney’s left foot did the rest, driving the ball goalwards, catching Steven Taylor en route past Steve Harper.

A hugely entertaining game sadly saw some ugliness. Rooney waved an elbow at Coloccini and the half finished with an act of thuggery by Steven Taylor. A good defender undermined by a lack of intelligence and a hot-headed streak, Taylor raced shoulder to shoulder with Ronaldo, and clearly swung his left fore-arm into the European Footballer of the Year’s face. As Ronaldo collapsed, Taylor had not finished his moment of infamy, clattering into Michael Carrick.

Understandably, the leaders were outraged by Taylor’s disgraceful behaviour.

Ferguson was off his seat, remonstrating with anyone who would listen and with those who wouldn’t. Ferdinand ran 50 yards to make his voice the visitors’ anger at an unrepentant Taylor, who refused to accept any culpability. Pity. Taylor needs to start listening otherwise a potentially promising career will go nowhere.
Determined to teach Taylor and company a lesson, Ferguson’s side came flying out of the traps in the second half, seizing the lead within 10 minutes. As Vidic required attention to a cut, Rooney dropped deep and launched a wonderful attack, sweeping the ball to Park on the left. Ryan Taylor slipped in attempting to chest the ball back to Harper, Park nipped in, playing it across to Berbatov, who finished with ease.

The lead gained, Ferguson’s men almost moved further clear after 71 minutes, Berbatov starting the move by winning a tackle, and finishing it with a shot that Harper tipped over.









Berbatov sends United seven clear but Van der Sar is bettered at last
Kevin McCarra at St James' Park


It was not to be the night that prised open the contest for the title, but it was at least a departure from the norm. Manchester conceded a goal and, what is more, fell behind in a match. Although their recovery to re-establish the seven-point lead was then completed this was not the normal show of mastery, even if this effort brought an 11th consecutive league victory.

There is real encouragement for the losers in the show of spirit that had Obafemi Martins demanding a save from Edwin van der Sar as late as the 85th minute.
There is a habit of viewing Newcastle with bemusement, if not amusement, because of all the scrapes the club gets itself into on the pitch or in the boardroom. None the less, there is nothing bland about this institution. The fear of relegation must also galvanise it. Following this one there is a trip to Hull, who will smack their lips over their prospects against this vulnerable side, before league fixtures at St James' Park with Arsenal and Chelsea.

Newcastle's confidence proved a shock to stop the clocks last night, however. More precisely, it ended Van der Sar's stretch of impregnability in the league at 1,311 minutes. Danny Verlinden can relax. His 1,390 invulnerable minutes with Bruges in 1990 survives as the record for Europe's top-flight domestic leagues.
This, all the same, will not have been a subject that was preying on Var der Sar's mind. His thoughts must have been fully taken up with the mistake that left them a goal behind after nine minutes. Newcastle did show brightness to set up the opportunity, breaking at speed from a corner by the visitors. Jose Enrique cut the ball back for Jonas Gutierrez and Van der Sar spilled the shot, leaving Peter Lovenkrands to knock in his first goal for the club.

While the wet surface had presented difficulties, it was still a surprise to see Van der Sar incapable of adjusting. After that, there was a natural verve to an encouraged Newcastle. United looked fallible, almost as if they were like all other footballers, and a baffled Nemanja Vidic collected a booking for bringing down Martins after being left stranded by the attacker.

Such an episode had been inconceivable beforehand. United, after all, had turned the screw when they rotated for this match. As expected, the side was much-altered from the selection that won the Carling Cup. The opposition will have recognised it, with some regard, as a variant on the line-up that had taken a 0-0 draw from the tie with Internazionale at San Siro last week. Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney took over, respectively, from Jonny Evans and Ryan Giggs.
United's slickness could not be concealed indefinitely. The equaliser, after 20 minutes, was simple and unanswerable. The right-back John O'Shea worked a one-two with Park Ji-sung before finding Rooney and the attacker stepped inside Fabriccio Coloccini before registering with a low shot. Some of the usual composure had returned to the visitors, even if Vidic did put a free header wide from Michael Carrick's corner after 40 minutes.

The match was turning into a struggle for Newcastle then. Their combativeness was great, but almost dangerously so in the case of Steven Taylor. On the verge of half-time he kicked Cristiano Ronaldo and swung an arm at him as well before, in the same passage of play, fouling Carrick. Somehow the catalogue of disorder warranted a mere yellow card. United were indignant, Rio Ferdinand was booked and there were squabbles with some Newcastle players in the tunnel as the sides made for the dressing rooms.

The game itself had been jagged in more legitimate ways. That note of disorder was to be the undoing of Newcastle in the 56th minute. A long crossfield pass should have presented no worries, but Ryan Taylor sought to chest it in the direction of his goalkeeper Steve Harper and merely plopped it into the path of the ever-alert Park. His low ball was then knocked into the net from close range by Dimitar Berbatov.

There continued to be a note of aggression to this encounter, with Vidic, for instance, protesting that Martins had elbowed him in the face. On other occasions, though, Newcastle did show a legitimate desire to compete. Their difficulty was that Sir Alex Ferguson's side made them conduct the struggle much closer to their own goalposts than they wished.

The caretaker manager Chris Hughton, none the less, would have appreciated the signs of an appetite for survival in the Newcastle ranks. Harper assisted with a save that put a rising drive by Berbatov over the bar in the 73rd minute. So far as United were concerned, then, the narrowness of the lead was more than compensated for by the fact that they had control.











Newcastle 1 United 2: Player ratings
Stuart Mathieson
March 04, 2009

Van der Sar: Surprisingly didn't look like a keeper who had gone so long without conceding. Bad fumble for goal. 5

O'Shea: A lot of the attacking joy Newcastle had came down his flank but he did set up Rooney's equaliser 5

Ferdinand: Was just the best of a United defence as he got on top of Martins danger 8

Vidic: One desperate tackle earned him a yellow and he was on mixed form 6

Evra: Recovered well from a distinctly dodgy Wembley performance 6

Park: His trademark persistence and chasing every cause paid off as he stole in to set up second goal 6

Carrick: Unable to find the room to unload his usual searching passes and was dangerously sloppy at times 6

Fletcher: Battled hard but didn't fully protect his defence early like he had done superbly in Milan, but fought back 6

Ronaldo: Plenty of leg shaking faints but he didn't really cause Newcastle too many problems 6

Rooney: Buzzed about and caused Geordie defence no end of problems and got Reds back into it 7

Berbatov: The Bulgarian scored the Reds winner but otherwise this was a relatively quiet night for him 6

Subs:

Giggs (sub Berbatov 90) Not time for impact

Not used: Anderson, Scholes, Evans, Tevez, Eckersley, Foster

Newcastle: Harper, Coloccini, Enrique, Martins, Bassong, R Taylor (Carroll 76), Smith (LuaLua 82), Gutierrez, Geremi, Lovenkrands, S Taylor

Goals:

Newcastle: Lovenkrands (9)

United: Rooney (20)

Bookings:

Newcastle: S Taylor (45)

United: (Vidic 18) Ferdinand (45)

Battle of the Bosses:

Stand in novice Chris Hughton gave Fergie his biggest concerns for a long time but Reds boss got his side firing again

Referee: Steve Bennett - Should have sent off Steve Taylor otherwise he was okay 6