Newcastle 1 Man Utd 5

By MARTIN BLACKBURN

FOR most Geordies it was another miserable evening but at least one headed home with a big smile on his face.
Wallsend-born Michael Carrick gave an accomplished midfield display as he enjoyed a first-ever victory at the ground of his boyhood heroes.
And with Arsenal slipping up, it meant Manchester United’s title defence was back in their own hands with 11 matches to play.

Alex Ferguson’s side cut the gap on the Gunners to just three points — and they still have to come to Old Trafford on April 12.
So Carrick could look back on a good day’s work as he headed off for a night on the Toon with his family and friends.
The England midfielder, 26, said: “It’s the first time I’ve actually won here so it was very satisfying. It’s a great final score.
“Normally I come back and it hasn’t been that good for me. But this is a really good day because we’ve closed the gap.
“We knew beforehand this was a big three points for us.
“With Arsenal just getting a point, it’s a great day.
“Now I can enjoy my weekend and catch up with a few friends and family.
“Coming here and seeing them in the stands and playing like that’s a great feeling.”
Carrick may not feel so great if he is dumped on the bench again at Fulham next week — but he knows that is why United are looking so strong.
Their squad is in great shape as they chase glory on three fronts and boss Ferguson can afford to keep everyone fresh.
The former Spurs star added: “Obviously you want to play every week but it’s the best club in the world and you’re going to have top players in every position.
“We’re all competing but in a friendly way and it brings out the best in everyone. We’re all raring to go.
“There were changes again from the other night, I’m sure there’ll be changes for the next one and it’s working well at the moment.
“Maybe we were a bit too comfortable because we didn’t play great in the second half but when they scored we put the game to bed.”
With everyone fit, Fergie almost has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal and he described this as a ‘good squad performance’.
He added: “This was a great day and our performance was excellent
“We were able to freshen things up because we have a good strong squad and hopefully we can keep players happy.
ROO THE DAY ... Wayne scores
“The front players were marvellous, the movement and penetration was terrific.
“We’re scoring a lot of goals and you never know, it could be an issue. You want to make sure if it goes to goal difference your own tally is good.
“I think points will be dropped — that’s the name of the game. A run-in becomes tense and there’ll be some nail-biters.”
There was certainly no need for any nail-biting here — unless it was by Toon fans starting to worry about relegation.
Newcastle started well enough but the result was never in doubt once Cristiano Ronaldo’s 25th-minute cross was gleefully volleyed in at the back post by an unmarked Wayne Rooney.
A delightful threaded pass from Carrick, after he had picked the ball up and marauded uncontested deep into the Geordie half, put Ronaldo away to slot in the second on the stroke of half-time.
That had made the game safe before Steven Taylor’s slip let in Ronaldo to round sub keeper Steve Harper and bury his 29th of a stunning season 11 minutes into the second half.
Toon centre-back Abdoulaye Faye did come up from the back to thump in from a 79th-minute corner United failed to clear.
But it was only ever going to be a consolation as a comeback was never ever on.
Harper, who had replaced the crocked Shay Given at half-time, made brilliant saves from subs Paul Scholes and Louis Saha.
Maybe he was confused by the travelling fans singing his name, but Alan Smith soon presented ex-team-mate Rooney with a chance to curl in a delicious fourth.
The last few minutes made for uncomfortable viewing and St James’ was almost deserted by the time Saha swapped passes with Rooney and slotted in another.
During Kevin Keegan’s first reign at the Toon in the 1990s, they were challenging Manchester United for the title but now that seems light years away.
Two meetings in 2008 have seen a 11-1 aggregate victory for Fergie's rampant side — although anyone can find themselves on the wrong end of a walloping from the champions.
More worrying is the statistic that Newcastle have taken just three points from a possible 30 since winning at Fulham back in mid-December.

Keeper Harper is the only playing survivor from Keegan’s first stint and he needs no reminding how much work needs doing on Tyneside.
He said: “It’s another demoralising defeat.
“We’ve got Blackburn next week and that’s a massive game.
“When Kevin came in yes we all got a lift but nobody expected that first win to be automatic.
“We’ve got to think of the immediate priority to get the points to put this season to bed. We’re under no illusions as to what the task is.”
When Keegan (below) arrived in 1992 he famously steered them clear of relegation from the old Second Division before taking them to the summit of the Premier League.
Unless they get a win soon, they could face another survival battle. Harper added: “You could compare it to last time when he came in.
“Nobody’s kidding themselves that we’re going to be up there in the Champions League soon next season.
“It’s a massive job at a massive club. People say he knows this club inside out and will know more than anyone what needs doing. The immediate aim is to get three points and get us on the right track.”