MANCHESTER United hit a brick wall today, which at least made a change. After inflicting damage on its Wembley dressing room at the weekend, Alex Ferguson's team was thwarted by obdurate opponents at St James' Park, as Newcastle United strained every sinew and urged themselves into every tackle.
In doing so, the top of the table was provided with a frisson of interest. A seven-point lead in the Premier League with five games to play represents a formidable advantage, but this was not an irresistible response to their defeat to Manchester City in the semi-final of the FA Cup. Whether there will be a late swing in the race for the title may be clearer after tomorrow's game between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Newcastle, whose record at home is a patchwork of inconsistency, defended like tigers and, for an early spell, came close to domination. Even without Kevin Nolan, their inspirational captain and most reliable goalscorer, they demonstrated power, courage and determination.
With 40 points and standing ninth, they can surely plan for another season in the division. There was a form of irony in the denouement, which is such a regular source of solace at Old Trafford. Javier Hernandez was shown a yellow card after falling in the penalty area in close proximity to Danny Simpson and, as the fourth minute of injury time ticked by, Wayne Rooney nicked a free header wide.
Two blips do not derail a season, but they have given others hope. Precedent pointed to an evening of toil for Newcastle, which had lost 13 of its previous 16 fixtures against the visiting side, yet there was little intimation that a meagre history was looming over it. After Tim Krul had thwarted Hernandez's close-range effort from an early cross by Rooney, it tore at the champion, using its pace down the flanks to unsettle and probe.
For a brief interlude, it felt as if one of those force-of-nature Tyneside nights might be beckoning; as the stadium shuddered with noise, Newcastle broke forward, with Jonas Gutierrez causing John O'Shea discomfort, cutting inside and seeing a decent shot deflected for a corner off Chris Smalling.
Shola Ameobi and Cheik Tiote, restored to the side after his recent suspension, both mustered chances.
Yet Rooney was also back from a two-match ban, chastened of mouth, but as lithe as ever.
After a quarter hour of fevered Newcastle pressure, the dynamics altered. There were breaks on the counter-attack, bursts of pace from Nani and Hernandez and then a sudden change of direction that left the England forward spinning around Mike Williamson and with a clear sight of goal. On that occasion, he cleared the crossbar, but there was an increasing sense that Ferguson's team were shaking the fatigue from their limbs.
With Paul Scholes banned, Rio Ferdinand rested and Dimitar Berbatov ill, there was a fresh outlook in their ranks and while their performance was more muscular than wondrous, they concluded the first half ensconced in Newcastle territory. That there was nothing to show for it was down to a combination of an apparent desire to pass through its opponent and some resolute defending in response.
Newcastle sat desperately deep, retreating - or being pushed back - inside their 18-yard box and while that strategy felt perilous, there was a benefit in having such a thicket of players in front of Krul, who was deputising for the injured Steve Harper. It has been a feature of the season, but fluency was fleeting.
Nani earned the displeasure of a bellowing crowd when he claimed a penalty after tumbling at the feet of a bemused Gutierrez - no caution followed, which only served to ratchet up the volume - but the episode underlined Mancunian frustration. Until the midway point, their path had been blocked.
At the other end of the pitch, Newcastle was less prolific, but it was not without threat. Its early bustle was now a memory, replaced by clenched teeth and saving tackles, but Joey Barton's delivery remained a source of encouragement. One free kick was held with comfort by Edwin van der Sar but, in the 44th minute, Smalling failed to intercept a deep ball from the right and Peter Lovenkrands, who later had claims for a penalty denied, directed a free header wide.
The tempo had been ferocious, with endeavour to match it, but the question was whether Newcastle had the stamina and concentration to hold firm. Much was also being asked of United's powers of patience, but then, in this regard, it was hardly ingenues. Playing to the whistle - to the closing seconds of Fergie Time, as it has become known - is ingrained in their psyches.
Drama was rationed. Instead of play becoming stretched, activity congealed in midfield. It took 20 minutes of the second half for hostilities to develop into anything substantive and that was a free kick from Rooney that curled into Krul's arms. Giggs also prodded a shot narrowly wide after Patrice Evra had darted into the box; whatever else, this was not going to be a rout.
A pattern had been established; the introduction of Stephen Ireland from the substitutes' bench was an attempt by Pardew to re-shape it. Suffering from a variety of injuries, Ireland had not appeared for the club since his loan signing from Aston Villa in January and is running short of chances. Ireland quickly had an influence - shooting narrowly off target - but space remained a rarity.
There was a chance for Nani when he tacked inside from the left wing, but the night's most emotive moment came when the Portugal winger was replaced by Michael Owen. On the first anniversary of its confirmation of their promotion from the Championship, Newcastle fans showered their former player with jeers.
It is a different club; something they made plain.
The Times
