"It was a game of two halves"

United were lucky to go into the break level, with Alan Shearer netting an equaliser four minutes from the end of the half.

Going to World Cup?

"I said to Kieron Dyer, 'It's as simple as this Kieron Dyer: who wants to go to the World Cup, you or (Michael) Carrick? Prove to me who's going to be the better player today in the second half and multiply that by five. Is it going to be Carrick going to the World Cup or is it going to be you?' revealy Bobby"

"And Laurent was the same. Laurent, in my opinion, was poorish in the first-half, scintillating in the second half.

"He's been involved in everything, all the three goals. He actually got the ball and he ran at the defender - we told him to in French, in Latin, in everything, just to get involved, just to go at the full-back and get behind him, not just get the ball and pass it.

"He's different class when he's like that. There's nothing better in the country than him when he's like that. When he's not like that, he's like me.

"It's Jimmy Greaves' adage, it was certainly a game of two halves. It was their half and we were lucky to be in the game at half-time.

"Alan Shearer got us back in it. He took his goal very well, but it was our only contribution. We could have been dead and buried at half-time - we could have been three or four-one down.

"But second-half, it was the other way. We got two goals to win a match and Dyer could have scored twice and Gary Speed could have scored, and the boot was on the other foot.

"We played quite excellently in the second half. We gave a vintage Newcastle performance."