'Wayne Rooney's week began with his car being run into by a 20-tonne truck and ended with him flattening Newcastle United's defence. Rooney struck twice yesterday and played a crucial, if controversial, part in another Ruud van Nistelrooy penalty. Brimming with intelligent movement and accurate passing, Manchester United were worthy winners but Newcastle were left incensed by the manner of their demise.
Within two minutes of Alan Shearer equalising Rooney's opener, the Manchester United forward chased a through-ball with Andy O'Brien, the Newcastle defender. O'Brien appeared to be nudged out of his stride, leaving Rooney clear. Shay Given reached his attempted chip but brought down Paul Scholes in trying to retrieve the loose ball. Mike Dean pointed to the spot and Van Nistelrooy did the rest.
The sad truth for Souness is that his team were out-thought. Ferguson's clever tactics had been apparent from the off, flooding midfield and unleashing runners beyond Van Nistelrooy. Newcastle's fragile defence struggled to read this blur of red washing down upon them, flowing through the gaps and ultimately drowning them.
Having seen Roy Carroll block a Shearer free-kick, the visitors seized a seventh-minute lead, a quick counter seeing the ball flowing from the dominant Roy Keane to Gary Neville and then Darren Fletcher on the right. The Scot picked out Rooney's run with a perfectly weighted ball that the England tyro drove first-time past Given.
When Shearer muscled Wes Brown over on the right, Bellamy darted through the centre, opening space for Shearer to power into and beat Carroll with a low left-footer.
Game on? No chance. Ferguson's men were too determined. Van Nistelrooy plundered his spot-kick and the chorus of disapproval welling up in Geordie throats was released in the final minute when Alan Smith was quicker than Ronny Johnsen and Olivier Bernard to a loose ball, Van Nistelrooy was denied by Bramble on the line but Rooney tucked away the rebound.'