Normal service has resumed. After the blue interruption by Chelsea at Wembley the Sunday before, Manchester United reestablished their authority and Premiership credibility yesterday. They did so at a canter against a Newcastle United team that began brightly but faded dismally after the concession of a second home goal 24 minutes into the second half. Newcastle did not even fight for the last 21 minutes and they have now not won at Old Trafford since 1972.
Andy Cole, who wishes to be called Andrew this season, scored the second, adding to Ronny Johnsen's first-half opener, but the scoreline was unrepresentative of the Mancunian superiority.
That was due solely to Shay Given who produced three excellent saves from Paul Scholes, David Beckham and his own erratic defender Nikos Dabizas.
"Man of the match," Bobby Robson called him and but for Given, Newcastle would have been on the end of a similar hiding to the one they received here last year when Cole rattled in four in a 5-1 win and Dabizas was sent off.
Cole did not play as well as that yesterday but perhaps did enough to merit a place in Kevin Keegan's England squad to be named on Thursday. If so, it will be in place of Alan Shearer, now in international retirement.
Shearer troubled no-one yesterday, least of all Fabien Barthez, United's sole summer purchase. But there was news of another, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who will be coming to train at Old Trafford in October with a view to rectifying his £18.5 million transfer. As it was, Alex Ferguson was able to replace the two strikers that started, Cole and Teddy Sheringham, with Dwight Yorke and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. "Daunting," was Robson's description of Ferguson's squad.
The United team may well change for tomorrow night's game at Ipswich but not because Ferguson was displeased by any of his players. "In the first half our football was tremendous," Ferguson said. "Good tempo, speed and imagination."
In the first half it had to be. Given Newcastle's last visit here three days after Ruud Gullit was ejected from his St James' Park office, Newcastle arrived in comparatively rude health. Robson has performed a restoration job and the spirit revival he has engendered was evident in a sparky opening from a side that won just one match pre-season, against Burnley.
With three up front, including the eye-catching Argentinian debutant Daniel Cordone - £500,000 - and the rather more expensive Carl Cort from Wimbledon - £7 million - Newcastle's ambition was to ruffle the home defence. This they achieved in that Barthez felt sufficiently concerned to run over the half-way line at a 19th-minute, home corner and speak to Phil Neville about his positioning. Newcastle, however, had not forced Barthez into action by then.
Sixty seconds later, Newcastle were behind, a basic error in defending gifting Johnsen a free header from a Beckham corner. Given managed to get a hand to it but could not prevent the ball crossing the line. It was something of a procession after that, Sheringham shooting wide when well-placed, Ryan Giggs thudding a volley against a post from a neat cross from Scholes and Roy Keane going close from 20 yards.
Not until the 59th minute did Barthez make a save - from Rob Lee's shot. Substitutes Kieron Dyer and Nolberto Solano tried to add a dimension to Newcastle's play, but when Cole ran on to Giggs's through ball and drilled it wide of Given and into the bottom corner, the game was over. "Our season can start now," said Robson. About time.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Barthez, G Neville, P Neville, Stam, Johnsen (Wallwork 63), Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Cole (Solskjaer 75), Sheringham (Yorke 76), Giggs. Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Fortune. Goals: Johnsen 21, Cole 70.
NEWCASTLE: Given, Barton, Marcelino, Goma (Dyer 46), Lee (Solano 59), Shearer, Speed, Cort, Cordone, Hughes, Dabizas. Subs Not Used: Domi, Harper, Charvet. Booked: Goma.
Referee: S Lodge (Barnsley).
