Newcastle United 5 Peacock 12, Ginola 30, Ferdinand 63, Shearer 75, Albert 83
Manchester United 0
Newcastle United Pavel Srníček - Steve Watson (Warren Barton 87), Darren Peacock, Philippe Albert, John Beresford - Peter Beardsley, David Batty, Robert Lee (Lee Clark 87), David Ginola - Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand Subs not used Shaka Hislop, Faustino Asprilla, Keith Gillespie Booked David Batty
Manchester United Peter Schmeichel - Gary Neville, David May, Gary Pallister, Denis Irwin - Karel Poborský (Paul Scholes 66), Ronny Johnsen (Brian McClair 66), Nicky Butt, David Beckham - Ole Gunnar Solskjær (Jordi Cruyff 56), Eric Cantona Subs not used Raimond van der Gouw, Phil Neville Booked Nicky Butt, Eric Cantona, David May, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes
Attendance 36,579 at St James Park Referee Steve Dunn (Bristol)
Live on Sky Sports.
“ON a day when Newcastle would have taken 1-0 against Manchester United, here they are looking for number five with Philippe Albert... ohhhhh! Absolutely glorious!”
A DISTINCT sense of unease filled the pre-match atmosphere back in October 1996 when Manchester United arrived on Tyneside.
Many Newcastle fans were still reeling from the Magpies' capitulation in the 1995-96 title race in which the Red Devils had managed to overturn a 12-point deficit on their way to winning the Double.
And then, in August - as if to rub Newcastle's noses in it - Manchester United produced a masterclass at Wembley to hammer Kevin Keegan's forlorn team 4-0 in the Charity Shield.
Most worryingly, the season curtain raiser seemed to lay waste to the argument that the £15m signing in July of Alan Shearer was the final piece in the puzzle for Newcastle. Manchester United were the superior side by far that day under the Twin Towers.
The defending champions subsequently arrived at St James Park for the 10th league game of the season still unbeaten.
Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel - who had produced a series of brilliant stops to deny Les Ferdinand in the equivalent fixture in March - had not conceded in around nine hours of football.
But Newcastle, to their credit, had recovered well from a slow start and a 2-1 away win over Sunderland in the last ever derby at Roker Park had instigated a sequence of six straight league successes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly then, the men in black-and-white made the faster start - and, after Ferdinand had seen his shot deflected wide, Keegan's men got their just desserts on 12 minutes.
Darren Peacock was the unlikely scorer from the resultant corner, only just forcing his header over the line from a knockdown by Shearer despite the efforts of Dennis Irwin.
Schmeichel had finally been beaten - and the crowd, already loud, erupted and became even louder.
Of course, Keegan's team were not the sort of side to sit on a 1-0 lead. Attack for Keegan was always the best form of defence.
In any case, everyone at St James that day seemed to know instinctively that this match, being played at a lightning pace on a skiddy pitch, was not going to finish with only one goal.
So it was vital then that Newcastle found some breathing room in the match.
After half an hour, the breathing room arrived. French winger David Ginola was the sole architect of a typically magical second, turning Gary Neville on the edge of the left-hand side of the box before unleashing a fierce right-footed drive into the top corner.
Soon after, another venomous shot followed as Shearer beat Schmeichel all-ends-up, only to see his effort smack the post. Nonetheless, 2-0 at the interval was more than satisfactory.
Inevitably, Manchester United came back into the match at the start of the second half, enjoying most of the ball.
Karel Poborský forced a fine save from the now tragically late Pavel Srníček before Steve Watson cleared a goal-bound Eric Cantona effort.
The Red Devils were getting on top for the first time - and it was becoming clear that Newcastle needed a third, if only to swing the game fully back in their favour.
Again just when it was needed the goal arrived, this time from Ferdinand.
It looked as if the Londoner's one-man odyssey against Schmeichel was never going to see success when he headed a pinpoint Peter Beardsley ball wide.
But, within minutes of that, Shearer had fashioned a superb cross from the byline - and set up Sir Les for a towering header which went in off the underside of the bar. The Blaydon Races rang around the stadium.
Shearer finally got one for himself 12 minutes later, starting the move for his goal with a gorgeous cross-field ball to Beardsley who obliged by a whipping a rasping shot at Schmeichel.
The Dane - again - was equal, and he produced a double save to deny Ferdinand. The ball, at Shearer's feet only yards out, was only ever going to end up in the net, however.
It was 4-0, the same score in reverse as in the Charity Shield with - coincidentally - the same Newcastle starting line-up as exactly 10 weeks earlier.
Still, the Magpies probed. David Batty put a chance narrowly wide before the coup de grâce truly arrived with seven minutes remaining.
Philippe Albert had hardly made one of his notoriously cavalier advances all game - but, with the match won, the big Belgian suddenly found himself around 35 yards from goal.
Finding plenty of space, the centre-back strode forward and appeared to be lining up a shot. Schmeichel - still on his toes - took a couple of quick steps forward to meet the angle.
But, instead of a low drive, Albert crafted a delicate chip which sailed high over the goalkeeper and drifted serenely into the abandoned net.
The crowd, of course, was anything but serene - and, if Sky commentator Andy Gray was at his most clichéd in describing the fifth as the icing on the cake, he and Martin Tyler had - in fairness - ran out of words.
In cliché terms, Albert's chip would maybe more accurately be described as the sweetest cherry on top of the cake.
Simply, for me personally, it was one of the most unforgettable moments of my childhood.
I had watched the match, at the age of 13, in a noisy social club with my uncle - and, as the goals went in, I became increasingly amazed and was eventually high on several pints of Coca-Cola, as well as adrenaline and life.
It certainly took me a while to get to sleep that night.
Even now, it does not really matter that Newcastle could only again finish runners-up to Manchester United at the end of that season.
Purely in isolation, this was the most wonderful payback for the heartbreaking end to the previous season as well as the humiliation of the Charity Shield defeat.
Undoubtedly, that Collymore goal live on Sky in April 1996 was the most deflating moment of the Entertainers era under Keegan.
It was the moment when it started to become clear Newcastle were not going to win the Premier League - or indeed anything - under the most talismanic figure in their history.
Equally, though, that Albert chip on 20 October 1996 was the antithesis of the Collymore strike.
It was the most glorious moment on, perhaps, the greatest day at Gallowgate.
No comments:
Post a Comment