THE ghosts of Manchester United will no longer trip quite so lightly across Newcastle's grave. In fact, after yesterday's sharp spot of exorcism at St James' Park, it will surely take no more than a couple of bars of the Blaydon Races to send violent shivers down Old Trafford's spine.

Alex Ferguson's team came to Tyneside undefeated in the Premiership this season and unbeaten by Newcastle United in a league fixture for nine years. They went home chased and chastened, routed 5-0, their heaviest defeat not only in Ferguson's 10 years at Old Trafford but in his 22 years as a manager.

The victory, Newcastle's seventh in succession in the Premiership, has returned Newcastle to the top of the table, which they now lead by three points. Statistically, with just over a quarter of the programme completed, that may not mean very much psychologically the result may be of enormous significance in Kevin Keegan's attempt to win the title lost to Manchester United last season.

When the league champions outplayed Newcastle in the FA Charity Shield, winning 4-0 at Wembley in August, the script for this season appeared to have been written. Yesterday, however, Keegan's players ordered a rewrite. With Shearer hitting a post and Ferdinand and Batty missing sitters, Manchester United were fortunate to escape an even more severe mauling.

To their credit, Ferguson's players, and particularly the youngsters, kept going to the end and were forcing saves from Srnicek even after the fifth goal. But Cantona was fortunate to stay on the field when, having been cautioned for a shove which somersaulted Albert over the byline, he caught Beardsley with a crude, late tackle 10 minutes later.

At the heart of Newcastle's victory lay the dominance in midfield which Batty and Lee achieved over Johnsen and the hard working Butt. Add to this, a revived performance from Ginola, some inspired moments from Beardsley and the fact that Shearer is as good a creator as he is a scorer, and this was a complete a victory as Newcastle could wished for.

"We really looked like a team that were on a mission," said Keegan afterwards; a mission that began last March when Cantona's lone goal at St James' Park finally tilted the championship Old Trafford's way.

Manchester United never really recovered from falling behind to a hotly contested goal just before the quarter hour. After Ginola had set up a chance for Ferdinand, whose shot was deflected behind, the Frenchman's corner was won in the air by Shearer and the ball found its way to Peacock. Irwin thought he had cleared the centre back's stooping header off the line, but the linesman signalled a goal and television proved the futility of Mancunian protests.

After Poborsky earned a Bafta award for his dive over Srnicek, the contest began to move beyond Manchester United's grasp on the half hour. Beardsley and Beresford found Ginola on the left and once more he cut inside, this time pivoting in front of Gary Neville to release a marvellous right footed shot into the top far corner of the net.

By half time Shearer had driven a 30 yard shot low against the left hand post and St James' Park was baying for more goals. The crowd were not to be disappointed, although had Poborsky's header, which Srnicek blocked five minutes into the second half, been better directed Newcastle might have suffered a return of some bad old vibes.

As it was the celebrations began in earnest in the 62nd minute when Ferdinand met Shearer's cross from the right with a header that looped over Schmeichel and in off bar and post. With a quarter of an hour remaining, Shearer scored a fourth from the rebound after Schmeichel had made two quick saves from Beardsley and Ferdinand, and Albert rounded things off in the 83rd minute with a supremely impudent fifth goal, chipping Schmeichel from 20 yards.

It was the champions' heaviest defeat since Dave Sexton's Manchester United side lost 6-0 at Ipswich on March 1st, 1980, and the first time they had conceded five goals since losing 5-1 to Manchester City at Maine Road in September 1989.

"At least we kept at it," said Ferguson, without attempting to offer any excuses for the rout. Manchester United wore red yesterday, but went home looking just a little grey.