Half time: Spurs 0 Newcastle 0

Full time: Spurs 0 Newcastle 0

Half time of extra time: Spurs 0 Newcastle 0

109 mins: Shearer penalty 1-0

118 mins: Shearer shot 2-0

Full time of extra time: Spurs 0 Newcastle 2

Ruud Gullit said:
 
To follow

George Graham:

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Guardian match report:

A mistake, it had to be a mistake. If anybody was going to score at Old Trafford yesterday, it rapidly became clear in a match of increasingly incoherent attacking quality that it would be a defensive error that delivered the opening.

Newcastle United's nervous back four - all of whom were right-footed, including the substitute Aaron Hughes - were favourites to make the fatal blunder. Only the most surprising starter, the 20-year-old Andy Griffin, appeared comfortable in possession. The Spurs back-line, also featuring four right-footers, was much more solid, particularly at the centre where Sol Campbell was a rock. Alan Shearer, by comparison, was Barney Rubble.

Trying to find out what then persuaded the relentless Campbell to sleepwalk back to his schooldays, when and where not-too-sneaky hand balls were punished with derision, is akin to trying to read hieroglyphics backwards.

A brainstorm was the best excuse anyone could come up with to explain away the distorted thought-process scrambling the Spurs captain's mind as he reached for Duncan Ferguson's attempted return pass to Gary Speed.

Campbell's colleagues, aware that they were in a real position to criticise, were as dumbfounded as their captain, and as he chased after Paul Durkin it seemed even Ferguson thought the referee had awarded a Tottenham free-kick, such was the general state of disbelief.

But Durkin, on this occasion, had called it right and Shearer slapped in a gleeful penalty at the same end where he scored the winner in last season's semi-final, against Sheffield United.

Even Shearer's celebration, peeling away to the Geordie hordes with right arm raised, was a replica. 'I might have looked calm,' said the England captain later, 'but my backside was going some, I can tell you.'

Wembley was calling Newcastle again and the Tannoy announcing extra trains to London to accommodate the returning Tottenham fans was timely.

When it came Shearer's second was an irrelevance, if a glorious one. Exceedingly relevant to the game's pattern and its outcome was another Durkin judgment, however, his non-decision 13 minutes into the second half when Nikos Dabizas's arm rose to meet Andy Sinton's free-kick.

It was one of those precious though not-so-rare moments when only the man in black fails to see what is visible to everyone else - in this case 53,609 others.

Plus one, of course, and George Graham did not try to disguise his view of the incident. 'It was down to a penalty decision,' said the Tottenham manager. 'They got theirs, we didn't get ours. I hope he looks back on it and sees it was a bad decision, one of many.

'What was he watching? He must see the flight of the ball. He must see hand going to ball or ball going to hand. I think if we had got the penalty and scored,we would have won.'

Few would disagree with that assessment although given the bluntness of Chris Armstrong, Les Ferdinand and an assortment of others in front of the Newcastle net, a penalty was their most likely route to goal. 'We definitely need a predator,' Graham added. Too true.

Duncan Ferguson may not fit into that category but there is something about the 6ft 4in Scot that serves to inspire those on his side while at the same time making the others flinch.

Ferguson, without a first-team kick since Christmas, swung the game merely by pulling on the black-and-white jersey, and Ruud Gullit acknowledged as much. 'We talked in the morning and I could see Duncan was up for it,' commented Newcastle's manager. 'He said he was ready. That was the big difference because it relieved Alan of being the target man.'

Given the Dutchman's upbeat demeanour and surprising gratitude to God - he did not mean Shearer - the manager was rather unforgiving when he pointed out that he thought Campbell should have been dismissed for deliberate handball.

That would have been another football injustice in a season full of them, though one wrong was nearly righted yesterday - Newcastle have now qualified for Europe, almost on their own merit.

It is just a pity it came via another injustice, and another mistake.

Biffa