5 Great Manchester United Moments vs. Newcastle in Premier League History

Manchester United fans have plenty of happy memories of games against Newcastle United. 

There has been the odd aberration, for sure, but generally the Red Devils' record against the Magpies in the Premier League era is a very positive one. 

With former United man Steve McClaren bringing his charges to Old Trafford on Saturday, what better time to take a look at some of the highlights from a Manchester United perspective. 

With apologies to any Newcastle United fans reading—and you might want to look away now—"United" from here on out refers to the team that play in red rather than black-and-white stripes.

Peter Schmeichel's Heroics, Cantona Wins It: 1996

The 1995/96 season was epic for United. Kevin Keegan's Newcastle were a force to be reckoned with, full of attacking talent and verve. However, when it came to winning mentality, they fell some way short of their rivals for the title. 

A pre-knighthood Alex Ferguson took his side—no strangers to attacking talent and verve themselves—up to St James' Park and ground out a season-defining 1-0 win. The goal came from that most storied of United scorers, Eric Cantona. 

The real hero that day, though, was Peter Schmeichel. The Great Dane kept out what felt like wave after wave of Newcastle attacks. In reality it was a handful of very good chances, but it is remembered in folklore to this day.

Schmeichel was brilliant, Cantona was brilliant and a couple of short months later, United were champions. 

Again. 

Ruud's Hat-Trick: 2002

Five years later, and United were on top, although the ship was looking a good deal shakier. However, the one glorious ray of hope on the cusp of the Eric Djemba-Djemba mid-2000s era of United was Ruud van Nistelrooy. His hat-trick against Newcastle as United won 5-3 was a perfect demonstration of the poacher's art.

Three goals, none from much outside of the six-yard box, each presented on a plate. 

5-3 is such a United vs. Newcastle scoreline, too, almost a parody of what you would expect from those two teams during that era. This game saw Alan Shearer score his 100th Premier League goal for Newcastle, making him the "first player to score 100 goals for two Premiership teams (the other being Blackburn Rovers)," per 11v11.com.

This hat-trick has additional sweetness in the pantheon of Van Nistelrooy's United career as it was scored en route to his only league title with the club. 

Wayne Rooney's Remarkable Volley: 2005

A player who has enjoyed far more league titles with United, and who has very often enjoyed his games against Newcastle, is Wayne Rooney. 

This goal, sadly, did not contribute to a title win. However, it is up there with the best goals Rooney has ever scored. Watching from the stands that day, it was a goal that looked as if it were borne out of pure frustration. Rooney, fresh from an argument with the referee, exploded into action, taking every drop of his rage out on the ball. 

It was only afterward, watching the replays on television, that it hit home just how brilliant the goal was. The remarkable technique showed the young Rooney at his best. Aggression, passion and a remarkable aptitude for kicking a football into a goal.

Ronnie's Only Hat-Trick: 2008

Given Cristiano Ronaldo appears to score an average of about seven goals per game for Real Madrid—OK, perhaps a slight exaggeration—it was a surprise to be reminded by United's Twitter account earlier this week that he only ever scored one hat-trick for United. 

Somehow, this game, which finished 6-0 to the Red Devils, was 0-0 at half-time. In the second half, though, a Ronaldo-inspired side demolished Newcastle.

He was en route to scoring 31 league goals and helping steer United to a Premier League and Champions League double. Newcastle were one victim among many as Ronaldo enjoyed his best-ever season in red.

"I'd Love It If We Beat Them"

OK. Perhaps this one sits a little outside of the brief of great Manchester United moments vs. Newcastle in Premier League history. For Reds of a certain age, though, it might just be the great Manchester United moment vs. Newcastle in Premier League history. 

The comments from Alex Ferguson that predicated Kevin Keegan's remarkable "I would love it if we beat them" rant were not that incendiary. As Darren Richman puts it in his Telegraph article on the subject from May, Ferguson suggested, "teams like Nottingham Forest might not try as hard against Newcastle as they did against his side."

That was enough to set Keegan off. Perhaps feeling the pressure of United gathering momentum, perhaps genuinely hurt by Fergie's implication, he flew off the handle. 

In the end, of course, Ferguson had the last laugh. Keegan might have loved it if his side had beaten United, but it was not to be. As previously mentioned, United won both their tie against the Magpies and the title. 

Again.