English FA Premiership: Newcastle - 2 Manchester Utd - 6 By the start of the second half St James' Park was like a giant pinball machine for Manchester United. As Paul Scholes completed his hat-trick they were preoccupied in racking up a score and Newcastle were no longer the true opposition.
Already sure of a three-point lead in the Premiership, Alex Ferguson's players were striving - and failing narrowly - to obliterate the advantage Arsenal hold in goal difference.
In northeast England they were on the attack against the reigning Premiership champions, even if the sides do not meet in person until Wednesday night at Highbury. Arsenal have the more inviting run-in, but Ferguson has altered the tenor of the season. It was not just Newcastle who had their breath taken away.
This performance was akin to Arsenal's 4-1 victory at Elland Road in September. At the weekend Ferguson's team had that same streamlined look, as if they were constantly accelerating away from pursuers. The Old Trafford manager has done all he can to make Arsenal worry that this time it might be his side that glides to the finishing line.
The flowing performance was all the more surprising from a team brought to a standstill by Real Madrid. They might have been thunderstruck, too, by the 30-yarder with which Jermaine Jenas gave Newcastle the lead. Bobby Robson's players, however, were in no shape to resist the response they provoked.
"I saw Manchester United being outsmarted on Tuesday in Madrid," said the Newcastle manager. "Today I've seen them outskill us and kill us off with their movement. So it makes you wonder where we are."
He wanted to categorise it as a "mental aberration" but the team also conceded five goals to United, at Old Trafford, in November.
When Gary Speed is missing, the attractive midfield is too cavalier and the flaws in the back four are soon revealed.
"Our defence, and not only our defence, were poor in 'track, mark and tackle'," Robson said. "I learnt that when I was a schoolboy."
United began to breathe easily once Ole Gunnar Solskjaer darted through to take Ryan Giggs's right-footed pass on his chest and angle home a drive. The Norwegian was nominally fielded on the right because David Beckham was ruled out with hamstring problems and, not for the first time, Solskjaer was intriguingly good in the role.
The striker's equaliser was the first of four United goals in 12 minutes before the interval. Scholes worked a one-two with him to volley past Shay Given and then boomed in a 20-yarder after the build-up by Giggs and Brown.
John O'Shea, whose exceptional performance was truncated by a knee injury that could keep him out for a fortnight, was then inspired by the exuberance around him.
After eluding Nolberto Solano, he beat Aaron Hughes with a drag-back and smashed an angled drive against the crossbar that allowed Giggs, again resorting to his right foot, to net the rebound. Scholes polished off his hat-trick in the 52nd minute when he turned in a low cross by the substitute Gary Neville.
Ruud van Nistelrooy tucked in a penalty after Diego Forlan was fouled and Newcastle had conceded six goals at home for the first time since 1961. United radiate a ferocious vitality as they approach Highbury.
NEWCASTLE: Given, Hughes, Bramble, Woodgate, Bernard, Solano (Ameobi 66), Dyer, Jenas, Robert (Viana 15), Shearer, Bellamy, Viana (LuaLua 66). Subs Not Used: Griffin, Harper. Booked: Shearer. Goals: Jenas 21, Ameobi 89.
MAN UTD: Barthez, O'Shea (Gary Neville 49), Ferdinand, Brown (Blanc 65), Silvestre, Solskjaer, Keane, Butt, Giggs (Forlan 45), van Nistelrooy, Scholes. Subs Not Used: Phil Neville, Ricardo. Goals: Solskjaer 32, Scholes 34, 38, Giggs 44, Scholes 52, van Nistelrooy 58 pen.
Referee: S Dunn.
