THE REAL UNITED STAND UP

THE INDEPENDENT

When Philippe Albert was introduced to the crowd before kick-off at St James' Park yesterday it seemed like a good idea. It was, after all, the Belgian's chip over Peter Schmeichel that completed Newcastle's 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United on Tyneside in October 1996. If the plan was to give the visitors another psychological dig, four days after they were given the Champions' League runaround by Real Madrid, it all fell a bit flat. By half-time, when Albert re-appeared on the pitch to draw the winning ticket in the Geordie Jackpot, Newcastle were 4-1 down and on their way to a 6-2 hiding.

Manchester United might be stuttering on the European trophy trail, but on the home front they are flying. They were as sparkling at St James' yesterday as they were despairingly dull in the Bernabeu on Tuesday. The result they gained took them three points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premiership, ahead of their trip to Highbury on Wednesday night. It also took their goal difference to within one score of the Gunners.

It was a performance as brimming with verve and invention as Wednesday's was bereft of inspiration. The Manchester United midfield might have gone missing in Madrid (Sir Bobby described Zinedine Zidane as "a magician") but those deemed to have performed a disappearing act returned to form with a vengeance.

Paul Scholes scored a hat-trick and Ryan Giggs was back to his razor-sharp best. Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a replacement for the hamstrung David Beckham, was such a piercing attacking foil that the proposed £10 million signing of Ronaldinho looked surplus to summertime requirements at Old Trafford.

Manchester United took a fearful mauling in Europe in midweek but remain the Real Madrid of their own backyard. At least it looked that way against Newcastle United, a team who began the week with theoretical title ambitions of their own and ended it with a meek surrender that ensures the issue will now be decided at Highbury on Wednesday.

Manchester United not only go into that fixture with a three-point lead, they do so having all but levelled out their goal difference with Arsenal in a single afternoon, and so relaxed and refreshed in the middle of what is supposed to be a demanding sequence of fixtures that Laurent Blanc was sighted on the pitch. Having used their permitted number of substitutes before the end, in fact, the visitors took off Roy Keane with a dead leg and played the last five minutes with 10 men. Manchester United also withdrew Ryan Giggs, John O'Shea and Wes Brown well before the end, all suffering from minor knocks, but mostly as a precaution.

Sir Alex Ferguson never expected to be in that position.

Arsenal can expect a much tougher workout against Sheffield United in the FA Cup today and soon we could have Arsène Wenger complaining about football being rigged. Had this been a horse race, there would certainly have been a stewards' enquiry and if Wenger wants to point the finger, he need look no farther than the Newcastle defence.

Manchester United were fantastic to watch, but then they tend to be if opponents allow Paul Scholes, Giggs and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the edge of their penalty area before attempting any resistance. Never has Newcastle's chronic need of a defensive, screening midfielder been more severely punished and having identified the problem ages ago, Sir Bobby Robson must accept some of the blame for failing to rectify it by now. Robson also paid £5m for Titus Bramble, about which no more need be said.

It all began so well for Newcastle, too. Alan Shearer clattered Keane in the first couple of minutes and escaped without caution or retaliation, then Jermaine Jenas thumped in a screamer of an opening goal from almost 30 yards after the Manchester United defence had failed to clear when Fabien Barthez parried a volley by Craig Bellamy.

Manchester United found the perfect hangover cure yesterday after having all that heady stuff forced down their throats by Real Madrid earlier in the week. The balm took the form of a Newcastle team so poor and compliant that United could afford to give them a goal start before following that with a spectacular thrashing.

The turning point could well have been the booking Alan Shearer, Newcastle's captain, received a couple of minutes later after committing the last of three crunching challenges on Roy Keane, Mikael Silvestre and John O'Shea. O'Shea's knee was damaged as a result and he must be a doubt for Wednesday, as must Keane (dead leg) and Wes Brown and Giggs, who went off with tight hamstrings.

With the wrecking ball that was Shearer muffled, Manchester United pushed forward. Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given had to save from Van Nistelrooy and Solskjaer before he was beaten three times in six minutes, starting with the shot Solskjaer hooked past him in the 32nd minute after stealing in behind Newcastle's ball-watching defence and chesting down Giggs' cross.

The visitors must have been astonished to meet with so little resistance in a Premiership contest described by Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson in his programme notes as the "biggest game this season". Unfortunately, the message did not seem to have got through to his players, who had trouble passing the ball to each other accurately, left yawning gaps in midfield and defended like amateurs.

Granted all the space they wanted, Manchester United took full advantage. Paul Scholes, whose recent form for club and country has been below par, not only scored a hat-trick, but created havoc with his passing. Similarly, Newcastle found it difficult to come to terms with the runs and dribbles of Ryan Giggs, who scored one of the other five, as did Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

The gloves are off, Manchester United’s exhilarating 6-2 win over Newcastle at St James’ Park yesterday giving them a crucial three-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the Premiership, with the two teams due to meet in Wednesday’s potential title decider at Highbury.

A prominently positioned article in yesterday’s Newcastle Journal would have left readers under the firm impression that Paul Scholes’ best days were well behind him.

This deconstruction of the Manchester United and England midfielder found its way to the visiting dressing room, where it was pinned up on a wall.

Although deployed out of position in a slightly withdrawn left-sided midfield role, Scholes not only scored a hat-trick, but won the man-of-the-match award with breathtaking ease. Aaron Hughes, his supposed minder for the day, will not want to view the match video in a hurry.

On an afternoon of eight goals, six substitutions and the demise of Newcastle’s title hopes, a Scholes-propelled United were even able to withdraw an exhausted-looking Roy Keane and play out the last five minutes with 10 men.

This astonishing victory puts United three points clear of Arsenal, with one game less left to play, and in the process, this win, hot on the heels of the 4-0 drubbing of Liverpool, has substantially improved their goal difference.

Newcastle: Given, Hughes, Bramble, Woodgate, Bernard, Solano (Ameobi 66), Dyer, Jenas, Robert (Viana 15), Shearer,
Bellamy, Viana (LuaLua 66).
Subs Not Used: Griffin, Harper.
Booked: Shearer.

Man Utd: Barthez, O'Shea (Gary Neville 49), Ferdinand, Brown (Blanc 65), Silvestre, Solskjaer, Keane, Butt, Giggs (Forlan 45), van Nistelrooy, Scholes.
Subs Not Used: Phil Neville, Ricardo.

Att: 52,164
Ref: S Dunn (Avon)