CHAMPIONS LEAGUE/Group A: Bayer Leverkusen...1 Newcastle Utd...3  Newcastle United last night gave manager Bobby Robson the three Champions League points he wanted as a present on his 70th birthday.

Robson had said he did not want anything fancy, just the points, but his young team - average age only 23 - wrapped them up in a black and white ribbon.

In the stadium where Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United all failed to win last season, the replacement strike force of Shola Ameobi and Lomana LuaLua scored three times in the first 32 minutes.

Though Franca pulled one back for Leverkusen and the home side rallied after the break, Newcastle and Robson could content themselves with a display that was both adventurous and mature.

Leverkusen are a team reduced in stature from last season of course, and sacked Klaus Toppmöller at the weekend, but they still had to be beaten.

Newcastle earned their first points of the group in doing so and will be keen to grab another three against the same opponents at St James' Park next Wednesday when Alan Shearer will be back to lead the line.

Normally, the absence of a partnership as effective as Shearer and Craig Bellamy would have overshadowed the game. Newcastle's suspension problems, however, paled into insignificance when compared to the disarray of their hosts.

The last time Leverkusen won a match was on December 7th. In the seven games since they have slumped to the verge of the Bundesliga's relegation zone before sacking Toppmöller on Sunday following the defeat by Hansa Rostock.

The temporary manager Thomas Hörster was clearly unimpressed by that performance, making eight changes from Saturday's starting line-up. Leverkusen, finalists in Glasgow nine months ago, fielded only four of the side that ran Real Madrid so close.

This meant the Germans began last night with a back four who had mustered just 16 appearances between them. The men replacing Shearer and Bellamy, Ameobi and LuaLua, had eight more than that even though they are nearly always second choice.

Both ran with far greater confidence than any of their markers from the first whistle. Even before Ameobi stooped to nod in the first after five minutes, Newcastle had imposed themselves.

When LuaLua gained possession on the Leverkusen left, he was able to drift by Pascal Ojigwe and the Brazilian Cris with embarrassing ease.

He found Ameobi unmarked two yards out, whose headed finish was a formality.

Not so Ameobi's second, though again he was hardly tested by efficient German defending with Cris foresaking possession all too easily under challenge.

The 21-year-old striker then chested the ball down and ghosted around Thomas Kleine, before drilling the ball low left-footed past Jorg Butt from 20 yards out.

But Newcastle can generally be relied upon to make a game of even unpromising situations. Sure enough, in the 26th minute, the visitors were split apart.

Yildiray Basturk and Jan Simak combined to feed Franca. The expensive Brazilian has been considered one of Toppmöller's failures but he clipped the ball over Shay Given coolly.

However, seven minutes later, the home side again self-destructed. Keeping the ball in play, Oliver Neuville succeeded merely in presenting it to Olivier Bernard. His pass found Laurent Robert whose excellent first-time cross was volleyed in superbly on the run by LuaLua.

Buit, with Bernd Schneider on for the second half, Leverkusen looked a more urgent outfit.

The Leverkusen players were showing for the ball in a way they had not been in the first half.

Only a great run by the perpetual Dyer punctuated Leverkusen's authority and Robson was an increasingly agitated presence as he patrolled the touchline barking out instructions until the final whistle brought relief, and three points, for the English side.

BAYER LEVERKUSEN: Butt, Preuss (Schneider 46), Cris (Callsen-Bracker 72), Simak, Basturk, Franca, Balitsch (Kaluzny 79), Ojigwe, Brdaric, Neuville, Kleine. Subs Not Used: Starke, Zivkovic, Vranjes, Babic. Booked: Balitsch. Goals: Franca 25.

NEWCASTLE: Given, O'Brien, Jenas, Dyer, Speed, Hughes, Bramble, LuaLua (Chopra 84), Ameobi (Cort 84), Robert, Bernard. Subs Not Used: Harper, Acuna, Griffin, Kerr, Caldwell. Goals: Ameobi 5, 15, LuaLua 32.

Referee: T Hauge (Norway).