English FA Cup semi-finals/ Manchester Utd 4 Newcastle Utd 1: If it is painful for Alex Ferguson and his expensively assembled squad to find themselves chasing consolation for failures elsewhere in a competition they declined even to enter a few years ago, then there was little sign of it yesterday in Cardiff.
Third versus 12th in the Premiership looked more like one of those mismatches that has endeared the FA Cup to so many over the course of its history. On this occasion, though, there was to be no fairytale ending for the underdogs.
Two goals, one in each half, from Ruud van Nistelrooy as well as a fine glancing header from Paul Scholes on 45 minutes and something approaching a tap-in from Cristiano Ronaldo late on gave Manchester United a margin here that didn't come close to flattering them.
More pertinent than pondering how good Ferguson's side was, however, might be to question just how Newcastle could be quite so poor. Without Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer they were always going to lack a bit of fight in midfield but as it turned out they were incapable of posing any serious threat in attack and their defence was a mess for each of the four goals conceded and a good deal more besides.
Though there is still a slim chance of achieving seventh place in the league and so qualifying for Europe again it is much easier to believe the defeat marks the end of their season. If so, they do not have the slightest cause for complaint.
After the defeat by Spurs in the Premiership last Sunday Graeme Souness talked about it being the start of a big week for this Newcastle side. "Big and bad" he should have said, for having virtually surrendered hope of qualification for Europe with that Premiership defeat and capitulated late on in Lisbon four days later, his side had their hopes of salvaging something from the season blown away yesterday by a United side that has not been at the top of its own game of late.
Amongst the many problems reportedly encountered by Ferguson during this past week or so was a minor rebellion over his recent adoption of the increasingly popular 4-5-1 formation but the Scot stuck with the approach apparently favoured by his assistant, Carlos Queiroz, despite last week's humiliating defeat by Norwich. He was handsomely rewarded for his perseverance.
With Roy Keane and Quinton Fortune playing holding roles in front of their defence, Ferguson effectively deployed four players behind the Newcastle midfield and the effects from the very first few minutes were devastating, with Jean-Alain Boumsong and Steven Taylor repeatedly exposed as Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo bore down from side positions and Paul Scholes advanced, often unchallenged, to support van Nistelrooy from central positions just outside the area.
Matters were hardly helped by the fact that Celestine Babayaro had to play despite picking up a knock against Sporting Lisbon and Steve Carr took quite some time to make an impact on the game. Shay Given also started a little shakily but as the second half progressed the goalkeeper played an important part in maintaining some sort of respectability as Ferguson's men threatened to run riot.
Having had their own European ambitions ended some time back, the holders did at least get to rest in midweek and they made their advantage in that department tell throughout a game played at high tempo in a manner dictated from start to finish by the team decked out in red.
They started out like a side chasing a large haul of goals against a team they believed should be inferior to them and finished having amassed four, missed countless chances to make the tally higher and dispelled any lingering doubt about the gulf in quality.
Fleetingly, Shola Ameobi did give his side's beleaguered fans something to cheer about when he beat Tim Howard at his near post from what looked an unlikely angle but the goal came while Rio Ferdinand and the rest of his defence were still celebrating van Nistelrooy's second goal, one that that put the result beyond any reasonable doubt.
Certainly, if those at the Newcastle end of the ground thought the strike would spark some dramatic late revival they were to be quickly disappointed.
Ferguson's men picked up where they had left off and after Given had done well to deprive the Dutchman his hat-trick, Ronaldo restored the three-goal lead 15 minutes from time after van Nistelrooy had almost casually turned away from two defenders and slipped a short ball to the Portuguese player, who stood waiting in space on the edge of the six-yard box.
Newcastle fans knew then there was no way back. Some small pride was salvaged as Newcastle had generally steadied things just a little by then at the back, where Andy O'Brien's arrival for Babayaro had marked a significant improvement.
Still as Gabriel Heinze and Gary Neville continued to roam forward down the flanks and central midfield remained the almost exclusive domain of Keane and co, it remained one-sided to the finish and Souness's men were in the end fortunate not to have lost by more.
