Brilliant Newcastle prove Manchester United are nothing to be scared of

Newcastle thoroughly deserved their 3-0 win over Manchester United last night

Newcastle 3-0 Manchester United

Manchester City may be the current Premier League leaders, but there is still nothing quite like a victory over their city rivals.

Newcastle battered and bullied Manchester United last night and were superior in every department, giving the Toon Army a night to remember and other Premier League teams an eye-opener.

If Alan Pardew's men proved one thing, it is that the side from Old Trafford are not to be feared.

This is not a vintage Sir Alex Ferguson team, with defensive flaws and a lack of creativity in midfield again magnified.

But to dwell on the Red Devils' poorness would be doing a disservice to the simply brilliant Newcastle.

Man United may not be the team they once were, but they still possess quality players and seasoned internationals.

They were made to look ordinary by the positive and aggressive Magpies, who were fantastic from back to front with star performances from the likes of Demba Ba and Cheik Tiote, who will now be sorely missed with a month-long trip to the African Cup of Nations.

It could be worse though. After a performance like this, Champions League clubs are sure to be sniffing around and it can only be hoped Newcastle's board stands firm and refuses to cash in as they did with Andy Carroll last January.

Whatever happens though, the duo of Ba and Tiote will be missing for the next month or so, and what a parting present they gave.

Tiote ensured Man United did not get a grip of the game

Tiote was a warrior in midfield, breaking up anything the visitors threatened to create and often going on rampaging runs up the field.

As magnificent as Tiote was, Ba deserved his man of the match award.

The Senegalese hitman has to be up there with Robin van Persie as the Premier League's best striker this season, with 15 goals in his last 16 appearances.

He took the opening goal magnificently after Tim Krul's long ball was nodded on by Shola Ameobi and Ba did the rest with a calm, magnificent volley which left the recalled Anders Lindegaard with no chance.

Ba hooks in the opener

Ba bullied Man United's central defensive duo of Rio Ferdinand and Phil Jones, who didn't know how to deal with the dual threat in the air of Ba and Ameobi, and the terrorising runs of Ba towards them.

Many teams would have sat back on a one goal lead against the champions, but Pardew had set his stall out to go for it with his team selection and his side kept on battering Man United, whose only real chance of the first half fell to an out-of-sorts Wayne Rooney.

At 0-0, the ball was played through to Rooney and it seemed inevitable he would control and finish as he was one-on-one with home 'keeper Tim Krul, but he failed to trap the ball in an instance which summed up his team's evening.

Rooney was a shadow of the player he was early in this season, and was barely involved at St James' Park apart from complaining to the referee whenever any decision went the way of the hosts.

Whistler Howard Webb was in fact favourable towards Man United with his decisions, so Rooney's frustration was probably mere leftovers from the punishment Ferguson handed to him for a Boxing Day night out.

Rooney was forced to miss the Old Trafford defeat to Blackburn on Saturday, and may now be wishing he missed the trip to Tyneside too.

This was not the kind of 'wounded animals' performance we have come to expect from Ferguson's team over the years after a defeat, as they were outplayed and suffered back-to-back defeats to hand City the initiative in the title race.

There are sure to be fresh questions about Rooney's future now, too.

During his contract row last season, he said he feared Man United lacked ambition and may not be able to fight for titles, and those worries are sure to come to the fore again now.

Rooney spent much of his time on the pitch moaning at referee Webb

Rooney doesn't look happy - that much was evident in the warm-up.

He trained mostly on his own, seemingly locked in his own thoughts, and was often at the opposite side of the pitch to his team-mates, juggling the ball and seemingly uninterested in warming up with the group.

In the squad's usual cross-field runs, Rooney sprinted well ahead of his team-mates in a world of his own.

He cut a frustrated figure during the game and suffered the ignominy of being substituted with just over 15 minutes left when his side needed goals.

Ferguson clearly has some work to do to get his key man back on-side and firing again.

Yohan Cabaye doubled Newcastle's lead two minutes into the second half with an unstoppable free-kick which bounced in off the bar.

Cabaye's stunning strike stopped a Man United second half onslaught in its tracks

After the game, even Ferguson was purring at the quality of the Magpies' opening two goals, and Cabaye's fantastic strike did spark the visitors into action.

In their only real spell of pressure, Man United were denied by a superb goal-line block from birthday boy Danny Simpson to stop Rooney scoring, but other than that, they rarely threatened.

Dimitar Berbatov hit the outside of the post with the score goalless and Rooney had earlier had his chance when he miscontrolled the ball, but in truth Newcastle's defence was rarely under any pressure.

That was testament to the calm and assured work of Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson, tight full-back play of Davide Santon and Danny Simpson and the industrious displays of Tiote and Cabaye in the centre of midfield.

Rooney and Berbatov were forced to drop deep to find the ball, as were Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck when they came on, while keeper Krul played a key part in two of the hosts' goals.

His long punt forward in the closing stages was bundled into his own net by an indecisive Jones, ensuring Newcastle's fans could enjoy the final few minutes and create the sort of stadium-rocking atmosphere that only they can.

When Newcastle beat Man United, it tends to be special.

Before yesterday, they had gone over 10 years without beating the side from Old Trafford and had only beaten them three times in the Premier League.

Those wins were the famous 5-0 game, a 3-0 rout and a 4-3 blockbuster, and this win can now go alongside them.

Two of their goals may have been route one, but the victory was not all built on a long ball game.

Every Newcastle player deserves credit for the team's triumph

The success came that way, with Ba and Ameobi superior in the air to their counterparts, but the excellent Cabaye set the tone with a superb display in the centre, showing off his great technical ability and starting many attacks to put Newcastle on the front foot.

Cabaye and Tiote as a partnership are simply fantastic and are a match for any other midfield duo in the league.

They made Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs in Man United's midfield look ordinary and are exactly the type of players Ferguson needs in his team.

This success for Newcastle wasn't all about two or three individuals though, it was a real team effort.

They all worked tirelessly for each other and believed they would get the result, with not one player in a black and white shirt having a bad game.

Pardew got his tactics spot-on, using the long ball at the right times and to the right effect, and unleashing a high tempo which even the great Man United sides would have struggled to deal with.

There should even have been a penalty for the home side with the score at 0-0, but nobody will be complaining now.

Newcastle embarrassed their illustrious visitors and their performance mocked any doom-mongers who had suggested their early season bubble had burst.

Pardew got his tactics spot-on at St James' Park

Ferguson will be worried by his team's lack of a response after their humbling at home to Blackburn, as his old sides would have come out fighting and determined to show the Premier League they are still the top dogs.

On this evidence, they are most certainly not that anymore, and may only be the third best team in the country, behind City and Tottenham.

They miss the leadership and calming qualities of stricken Nemanja Vidic, but there can be no excuses for this defeat.

Ferdinand was back, Rooney was back, Giggs was back and their calamity 'keeper David de Gea was dropped.

Man United were pretty much at full strength but could not get anywhere near the magnificent Magpies, who are now back on track in their superb season, sitting seventh and just four points off the Champions League places.

Pardew should take credit for his tactics, Ba, Tiote and Cabaye for their fantastic displays and the whole team for their bravery and solidity.

St James' Park was rocking by the end, just like Man United's title hopes after their first away defeat in the league this season.

Those hopes are now hanging by a thread, despite being just three points behind City, because results and performances like this are not those of champions.