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Newcastle	2 - 6	Manchester United
Half time:	1 - 4
Score Sheet:
(21) Jenas  (86) Ameobi		Solskjaer (32) Scholes (34) Scholes (38) Giggs (44) Scholes (52) van Nistelrooy (58pen)
	Teams
Given Bernard Bramble Woodgate Hughes Dyer Solano Jenas Robert Shearer Bellamy		Barthez O'Shea Ferdinand Brown Silvestre Solskjaer Keane Butt Giggs van Nistelrooy Scholes
Substitutes:
(15) Viana for Robert  (66) LuaLua for Viana (66) Ameobi for Solano		Forlan for Giggs (46) Gary Neville for O'Shea (49) Blanc for Brown (65)
Subs not used:
Harper Griffin		Phil Neville Ricardo
Bookings:
Shearer (foul on O'Shea)
Sendings off:
None		None
Referee:  Steve Dunn (Avon).
Attendance:  52,164.  The Bad: People asking to be let out at half time. People who threw their hands up in the air when the 5th / 6th went in and flounced out. You didn't impress me. And you just know some of these alleged football fans were the same ones mugging for the camera after queuing through the night to get the damn seats. Sell them tickets? They should be rounding them up and throwing away the key. The good: Defiant singing spreading round the ground at 1-6 - a refusal to lie down in the same manner as the team. Big shout to everyone who stirred themselves for the big shout, as it were. The Manager appreciated it anyway: "We were 6-1 down and the crowd were magical. We had a better team in the stands than on the pitch.'' United hero was Philippe Albert  (1994-99) who appeared on the field before the game to great applause verging on a standing ovation and featuring a rendition of his "everyone knows his name" song. It was later suggested rather unkindly that the prince was wandering around on the SJP turf the last time we got a towsing at home - only on that day (Liverpool 1-4) he was meant to be playing in our defence..... PS - New songs - heard coming out of the ground - "we hate Man U, 'cos they beat us 6-2." And from the away contingent - "Shearer for Sunderland."  PPS - usual fraternal greetings being swapped on the way to the railway station after the game. One can only presume the coppers are happy for this to happen year after year, as they seem to do nowt about it and it always happens within the same 30 yard radius.

21 mins A quickly taken free-kick was floated over to Craig Bellamy who managed to get a first-time volley on target. Fabien Barthez parried and after a scramble for possession on the edge of the area the ball fell to Jermaine Jenas who rifled a 25 yard screamer into the top left hand corner of the Leazes End goal. 1-0

32 mins The ball was knocked forward to Solskjaer who had timed his run to perfection and hooked the ball past Shay Given. Often the offside flag is raised in cases like these, with  only the TV replays showing the player to be onside. Credit to the linesman for an accurate decision but no credit to Olivier Bernard for not keeping the line and allowing Solskjaer to remain onside. 1-1

34 mins Scholes played a one-two on the edge of our box and crashed in a volley on the run past Given from the left hand side of the area. 1-2

38 mins Giggs danced across the edge of our area before laying off the ball to Brown who in turn teed up Scholes. The England player smashed a shot that curled away from Given into the top right corner of the goal. 1-3

44 mins John O'Shea seemed to run straight through Aaron Hughes as if he wasn't there before thumping the ball against the bar. The rebound fell kindly for Giggs who was able to find the gaping net with a right-footed shot from ten yards. 1-4

Half time:  Newcastle  1  Manchester United  4

52 mins A weak Titus Bramble header fell to Forlan who found Solskjaer, playing in the overlapping Neville. His right wing cross made it through to Scholes who found exactly the same spot from exactly the same angle that Alan Shearer had when he made it 4-0 back in 1996. 1-5

58 mins Forlan invited the tackle but Bramble seemed more than happy to oblige catching the trailing leg of the Uruguayan. Ruud van Nistelrooy predictably didn't do what he always does and side-footed to the left of Shay while the keeper dived to his right expecting the Dutchman to hit low into that corner. 1-6

86 mins Barthez scuffed a clearance that fell straight to Jenas. Shearer ran back from his offside position while Jenas found Shola Ameobi lolloping into the box. The substitute took a touch before expertly chipping Barthez in the Gallowgate goal. 2-6

Full time:  Newcastle 2 Manchester United 6

Sir Bobby said:

"It was a mental aberration as far as I'm concerned. It was always going to be a test and a challenge for us, but through that mental situation, we looked physically weak.

"In spite of going 1-0 in the lead when I thought 'Here we go again, this is now going to be a tough match for Manchester United'.

"I think they thought that, but they had an inspired spell of about 15 minutes when they played very well and took the game by the scruff of the neck and put themselves in a marvellous position and looked a cut above us.

"I saw Manchester United being out-smarted on Tuesday night in Madrid. Today I've seen Manchester United out-skill and kill us off with movement, so it makes you wonder where we are, how far we are from them.

"We've had a magnificent season. I'm not here to criticise the players. We've had a bad day and we couldn't control van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer, particularly Scholes, who had a marvellous match in a strange position, and Giggs, who played up through the middle.

"We couldn't get anywhere near them. They were too good for us, too clever for us, but our defence - and not only our defence - were poor in track, mark and tackle, and I learnt that as a schoolboy.

"I will not criticise the players. We've had a magnificent season here. We're still third.

"I've told you - I keep telling you - we're not as good as Manchester United and Arsenal, not yet. They're where we want to be. We'd like to be them, but we're not there yet.

"We're third - when I came here three years ago, we were last, so we're doing all right. We need more time and more patience and maybe a bit more investment to be where they are.

"They've been building this side for years - Arsenal and Manchester United have been doing this for years. We've been at it for one year, so we're not there yet.

"It's not the time for me to blast the players. I'll do it in my own way on Monday morning, but what we have to do is make sure that over the next five weeks, our players live their lives right.

"I'm angered and I hope they're angered, and I hope they're going to live their lives right over the next five weeks to make sure that this club at the end of the season does finish third.

"Realistically, our chances of finishing second or first, in my opinion, are over, but we'll battle away for third and if we battle away for third and nab it, we've progressed because we've gone from fourth to third.

"I'm not saying we will, but in all honesty, we should not lose another match between now and the end of the season. If you're second in the league and still in the European Champions League, you must be pretty consistent."

"They've had their odd defeats, but they've kept going.

"They've just motored on. They've had a little setback, but they haven't let it upset them. They've gone on again and who's to say against Real Madrid, if they get a goal sufficiently early in the match, that they won't knock out Real Madrid?

"I think they're a team that's capable of doing that. As far as Arsenal are concerned, I don't know. They're two very well matched teams and they're just ahead of the field."

"It will be a marvellous match on Wednesday, but who's going to win, I don't know, I really don't know. 

I'd like to win something but that (the Premiership) is what is driving me on. 'll keep working until we do. I might work until I'm 100 because we might never win it for the next 30 years!

"I've won leagues abroad but it would be lovely to win the league here one day. The cup might be more exciting but the league would be special.

"We're some distance from that at the moment. But the gap between us and Manchester United and Arsenal is bridgeable.

"I've already made my mind up that I'll work next season for sure. Retirement is not on my agenda. My health is fantastic, I get up every morning and I feel good and want to go to work.

"I am on the pitch every day, so the job is not beyond me physically or mentally, and as long as I feel that way and the people upstairs are happy with me, I'll carry on.

"The name of the game is success and trying to win things, and it's some time now since this club has won anything."

Alex Ferguson said about Shearer:

"We have seen him elbowing players before. I am disappointed - but I should not be surprised."

"The scoreline tells you it is the best performance of the season really."

"It is great to get six goals at Newcastle - such a difficult place to come to, and you have to conquer the atmosphere and the fans.

"We recovered (from Newcastle's early goal) and then played some great football. Going in 4-1 up at half-time was a fair reflection of how well we played."

"They are an awesome team on their home ground, but you saw our capabilities."

"I think we have given ourselves a genuine chance (of the title)."

"We have built up form and momentum in the last few weeks, and the motivation in the dressing room has been fantastic."

About the Arsenal game on Wednesday:

"It is the game of the season - no doubt about that."

Hat-trick man Paul Scholes said:

"It is a massive game and one we are all looking forward to."

"After this great win we are hoping we can carry it on on Wednesday."

Random rants - steam out of the lugs:

Twenty minutes before I'm dancing around in jubilation after JJ has nearly broken the net. Just what the hell happened? 

We were collectively wooden from the moment they broke through to equalise. Too many players looked lost and unable to stir themselves from something approaching catatonia. 

The lack of Speed or a Speed-type player meant that for the second successive game our midfield shrank in the face of adversity. Like the Maginot Line, the aggressors just bypassed our meagre defences and bore down on the prize, of Given's goal.

Viana, Dyer, Jenas, Solano. All more adept at the nicer points of the game, all looking for someone else to go and do the nasty bits. All looking in vain.

Bellamy and Shearer - both well shackled by a defence who ultimately had the confidence to go wandering off upfield, secure in the knowledge neither player would hurt them - at least with the ball. There's a situation developing as it has before when England's number nine is a mixed blessing - but of course you're not allowed to think that, never mind write that round here... 

Laurent bloody Blanc gets a game - for hell's sake, Paddy Crerand could have come on for ten minutes by the end.....

Woodgate - didn't know whether to shout at Bramble or suggest counselling. 

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