LIKE all good Christmas reunions, the hosts were left with a smile on their faces and a warm glow inside at Ewood Park yesterday. In contrast, the visitors' hangover, which seems to have lasted for about six months, showed no sign of abating.

For all this game being about Alan Shearer's homecoming to Blackburn, it was his former teammates who showed the quality that won them the Premiership title two seasons ago. Rovers' year-round Santa Claus, Jack Walker, believes that the incoming manager, Sven Goran Eriksson, will oversee a "new era" and his players seemed to be building towards it as they outplayed United.

Newcastle, on the other hand, risk passing Blackburn somewhere in mid-table within a few weeks unless they reverse a slump in form that has seen them take four points from a possible 21. With other title hopefuls dropping points, Newcastle could have made up ground, but Kevin Keegan has more limited aims.

The dejected Newcastle manager said: "I'm not bothered about other teams; I'm only bothered about one team at the moment. We didn't deserve to win but we had one or two good chances, which we didn't take."

Les Ferdinand's back heel in the penultimate minute was perhaps the pick of them, but in truth a draw would have flattered Newcastle. If Shearer had been on the end of two sublime through passes which Bohinen landed in Sutton's path there is no doubt the game would have been settled at least 20 minutes before it was.

The 76th-minute goal also bore stamp of Bohinen, lurking on the edge of the area as the impressive Kenna surged down the right touch-line and slung across a teasing cross. Srnicek, never one to decline such an invitation, came to collect but failed, allowing the Norwegian at the far post to fire a shot goalwards.

Robbie Elliott blocked the effort on the line but the rebound was redirected by Sutton for Gallacher to fire home as he fell.

The Scot was of course one of the forwards who lived in the shadow of Shearer and his goalfest at Blackburn.

But despite 112 goals in 138 games for Rovers and his exploits in the summer, Shearer would have known not to accept a warm welcome from the fans he deserted.

Roundly booed every time he touched the ball, it seemed Shearer would be destined to silence the Rovers' fans. The abuse would have the inevitable poetic outcome: a ripose nestling in the back of the home net. But Blackburn's manager said afterwards: "I can't praise the two centre-halves highly enough They didn't give him a kick."

On the rare occasions Newcastle created a clear chance it fell to less threatening feet, Batty, Elliott and Beardsley all going close; but Tim Flowers always managed to keep them at bay.

Now Blackburn must build on this victory and perhaps see it as a turning point: the ghost of Alan Shearer has been laid to rest but more important there were signs Chris Sutton, wearing the number nine for the first time, can lead the attack as well as the shirt's former occupant did.

In the first half he had the beating of Newcastle's defence in the air and was pulling his markers this way and that to create space for Gallacher and the rejuvenated Wilcox to exploit. He faded in the second half after missing the two chances in the first 20 minutes after the break.

If Newcastle's problems were only so easy as one player slightly lacking in confidence and the finishing touch. For the moment, they resemble nothing so much as a Rolls Royce running on diesel the engine is spluttering and all too often it seems that only momentum is carrying them forward at all.