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Match Report

Manchester United 2 (Johnsen '22, Cole '68)
Newcastle United   0

                   Manchester United flexed their muscles in front of a record
                   Premiership crowd at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon - and
                   Newcastle simply crumbled as the champions opened the new
                   campaign with a deserved victory. Playing a brand of football
                   which must have left their title rivals sweating, the Red Devils
                   swept to a comfortable win thanks to a goal in each half from
                   Ronny Johnsen and Andy Cole. Even the noisy Geordie
                   followers in the 67,477 gathering which packed the rebuilt
                   United stadium knew the final margin could easily have been
                   far greater. 

                   United had already rubbed the sleep out of their eyes when
                   Johnsen rose highest to meet a David Beckham corner after
                   20 minutes. Newcastle had been given advance warning of the
                   air raid only seconds earlier when Jaap Stam met another
                   Beckham corner with a bullet header which was tipped over the
                   crossbar by Shay Given. Beckham trotted to the other side of
                   the pitch - to the acclaim of the only supporters who cheer one
                   of England's few genuine talents - looked up and picked out
                   Johnsen, who glided the ball towards the corner with Given
                   only able to help it into the net. 

                   Cole, who grabbed four in last season's 5-1 win over his
                   former club, was able to chuckle heartily to himself again
                   midway through the second period when he exchanged passes
                   with Ryan Giggs and slid a first-time shot under the advancing
                   Given. Standing on the halfway line, Old Trafford anti-hero
                   Alan Shearer was once again stealing himself for the familiar
                   taste of defeat on a ground at one stage in his career looked
                   likely to be his own. 

                   The only sour note for United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was the
                   injury which left Johnsen limping off the pitch just past the
                   hour mark. After missing most of last season with two
                   separate knee injuries, Ferguson will be anxious that the
                   central defender has not suffered a recurrence of the problem.
 

                   Newcastle had started with an enterprising 3-4-3 formation
                   which initially met with a measure of success. Warren Barton
                   found space on the right, Rob Lee in the middle and
                   Argentine debutant Daniel Cordone up front. But almost as
                   quickly as the visitors opened gaps, so they were plugged. 

                   Stam produced an immaculate sliding tackle to deny Shearer
                   a shooting opportunity, French Euro 2000 winner Fabien
                   Barthez was equal to a 20-yard Lee drive and Carl Cort was
                   adjudged offside as he controlled a crossfield pass from
                   Cordone with a clear run to the United goal. However, any
                   optimistic thoughts of a first Premiership win for the Magpies
                   at the 'Theatre of Dreams' swiftly evaporated into a struggle
                   for survival. 

                   Johnsen's goal was the prelude to a period of attacking
                   brilliance from United which should have increased their
                   slender advantage. Roy Keane twice saw thunderous drives
                   clutched gratefully by Given, Cole failed to find the target from
                   the left angle of the six-yard area and Giggs had a penalty
                   appeal turned down when he tumbled to the ground trying to
                   hurdle Alain Goma's lunging tackle. 

                   The Welsh winger also saw his magnificent first-time volley
                   crash back off a post after Paul Scholes had lofted a cross
                   deep into the Newcastle area. On this form, trying to stop the
                   red machine is an unenviable task but Magpies' chief Bobby
                   Robson felt the solution was to introduce Kieron Dyer as a
                   half-time replacement for Goma, who had been booked a
                   minute before the break for hacking down Beckham. The
                   England wing-back's personal contribution was minimal but his
                   arrival coincided with another defiant attacking thrust from
                   Newcastle. Cordone's shot was goal-bound until Barthez
                   plunged to his left to save while the already popular
                   Frenchman was also alert enough to deny Lee's rasping
                   20-yard drive, with Stam hoofing the rebound to safety. 

                   The difference from the opening period was that United were
                   offering more space in the sure knowledge that they were
                   more likely to score than the opposition. Cole's goal proved
                   the theory, although Given had already stopped Beckham's
                   curling strike, Cole's daisy-cutter and a Nikos Dabizas
                   back-header which was desperately touched onto a post. 

                   Though Newcastle persisted in pushing forward, they were
                   picked off easily by the United defence and the midfield area
                   was a black and white free zone as red shirts filled all
                   available spaces. With the game won, Ferguson threw on
                   Dwight Yorke - who had been on World Cup duty with Trinidad
                   in midweek - and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. White flags are
                   probably being raised already. 
 

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