Soccer: Man Utd semifinal win signals return of van Nistelrooy

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) caps a dazzling display by scoring United's fourth goal as Newcastle's Stephen Carr looks on. Picture / Ian Hodgson

Sir Alex Ferguson has always said of Ruud van Nistelrooy that he is a striker who is defined by his moods: when on form he does not feel he can miss, but out of sorts the Dutchman fears he will never score again.

Perhaps Ferguson might wish to add another category to that theory after witnessing Manchester United beat Newcastle United 4-1 in their FA Cup semifinal yesterday, because opposition as poor as Newcastle can fix the broken confidence of any profligate forward.

The two goals that Van Nistelrooy banked were the first he has scored since the victory over West Brom on November 27 and, when the moment finally came, it could scarcely have seemed more effortless.

If this signalled the return to form of Van Nistelrooy, then it is already far too late to rescue United's Premiership campaign.

But it does mean that the FA Cup final on May 21 will, at the very least, be decided by English football's two most prolific goalscorers: Van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry.

The final will take us back to a feud that captivated the country in the weeks leading up to Christmas. That series of recriminations between Ferguson and his Arsenal counterpart, Arsene Wenger - that feel like so much ancient history since Jose Mourinho decided to take on the world - will now have a gripping epilogue in Cardiff.

Newcastle's brief flirtation with success seems so much the sadder than the efforts of Blackburn on Saturday when you consider the vast following they bring with them.

Yesterday, the massed ranks of Geordie support were like the army that surrendered without firing a shot after a week in which they have travelled to Lisbon and Cardiff only to watch their season collapse.

That means that the 36th anniversary of Newcastle's last trophy will pass without any new success and it was a measure of the strange dynamic at the heart of Graeme Souness' team that there was a place in it for Laurent Robert.

The French winger has been lucid and uncompromising in his criticism of Newcastle's lack of progress - for which Souness said he had apologised. In truth, Robert had more to say sorry about for his contribution over 90 minutes yesterday.

Souness refused to criticise his players but he did hint at the scope of the rebuilding task that awaits him.

There was another ineffectual performance in Newcastle's midfield from Nicky Butt.

If this had been Alan Shearer's last FA Cup appearance then it would have been a most unsuitable farewell to the competition.

After the debacle at Norwich last Saturday, Ferguson's team were much more dazzling on the counter-attack and looked like they may have done enough to earn a penalty through Cristiano Ronaldo after seven minutes.

Instead, Mike Riley, a referee who has been accused of a sympathetic attitude at Old Trafford in the past, dealt the Portuguese a yellow card for diving.

After 13 minutes, Ronaldo passed Celestine Babayaro again in the Newcastle area with a cross from the byline that eluded Jean-Alain Boumsong and dropped to the feet of Van Nistelrooy, who steered it in.

There was no discernible response from Newcastle for that half and, seconds before the interval, Ronaldo had the space to pick out Paul Scholes, who headed the ball across Given and into the far corner.

It was Butt's loose pass that started the move for the third goal. Wayne Rooney exchanged passes with Scholes, whose ball into the box was fielded by Van Nistelrooy, who passed the ball inside Given's post.

Within a minute, Shola Ameobi had claimed Newcastle's only goal of the game. The striker was a rare source of resistance against a defence that was ruthlessly managed by United's left-back, Gabriel Heinze, and exposed another worrying weakness in Tim Howard when he ran on to Shearer's pass and squeezed a shot between the United goalkeeper's legs.

The fourth goal was turned in by Ronaldo on 76 minutes from Van Nistelrooy's pass.

Not for the first time, Ferguson argued that winning the FA Cup means a successful season and beating Arsenal next month will make a point about the relative state of the two sides that will give the United manager great pleasure.

However glad he is about reaching the FA Cup final, Ferguson could hardly say the same of beating Newcastle.

FA Cup final

* Manchester United v Arsenal
May 21, Millennium Stadium

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