22 mins Nicky Butt won a corner at the Stretford End, thanks to a deflection off Wes Brown. Danny Guthrie sent over a right-footed out-swinger that Martins leapt to meet unchallenged and head goalwards from five yards. Scholes was positioned on the line at the far post, but could do no more than deflect the ball into the back of the net 1-0.

24 mins With Steven Taylor still receiving treatment off the pitch following a clash in the lead up to Oba's goal, the home side promptly went upfield and levelled against the ten men. Fletcher found himself at the head of the attack, getting in front of Beye and N'Zogbia to meet a low Ryan Giggs cross from the left and steer it past Given. 1-1.

Half time: Man United 1 Newcastle 1

Full time: Man United 1 Newcastle 1

Kevin Keegan commented:

"Whatever side Manchester United put out, they're a great side. 

"You can't carry anybody here. But if you put in a good performance and have a good attitude you just might get a result. That is what happened, and I thought we deserved the point.

"Of course you are going to have to ride your luck when you come to a place like this and we did, but no-one can say we got more than we deserved.

"Newcastle fans will go away saying how they witnessed a team playing for the supporters, playing for the badge, playing for the club - and that's what they deserve.

”Too often in the recent past we have bought players who have not been quite good enough. They have either not settled or not understood what it means to play for Newcastle. You can't just say good players can play at Newcastle because history will prove they cannot.

"I don't think it has been a bad summer but then I have not been reading what has been written.  But in football at the moment, you don't want these things on your doorstep, at your club. It is nice to get a good result so it goes on to another club but I don't envy whoever it is.

Talking about central defence:

"They (Newcastle in previous seasons) have tried to get a few but for one reason or another it has not worked, but I think for the next five years that could be our central partnership.

“Coloccini has signed for five years and so has Steven, so everything is there. The signs are good from the first game, we hope they can build.”

"Taylor is a fantastic lad. He has a great attitude. A lot of players would come off after the knock he had at Old Trafford. Watch and learn from this guy (Coloccini) and he will help you’.

“And he will learn. If he does he will make the step up again from the Under-21s to where Coloccini is at full international level.

“He wants to learn, that is the key. Some young players don’t but he does. He has only trained with the players once but when you have played for Argentina for 20-odd games coming to Old Trafford won’t faze you.

“He has played in Brazil in front of bigger crowds this summer. I had no option because I lost Caçapa on Friday but I did not have any worries about it. I just told him to go out there and enjoy it and I think he did.

“He said afterwards it was very quick and he can normally get more passes through but I told him that was the Premier League. What he needs to learn, he will learn – very quickly.”

"We were without Owen and Viduka, who are key players for us, but there were two very committed teams. If my team can handle that on the first day of the Premier League why should they fear anyone else?

“The fitness coaches have got them really fit so I wasn’t worried about us lasting 90 minutes. The good thing was that players who got knocks did not want to come off. Steve Taylor got one and  Duff and one or two others. That tells you all you need to know about the desire within the squad. We are not a big squad but we are trying 100%.”

Jumping for joy

The final fixture of the opening weekend attracted the largest congregation in the country and aside from a discordant enclave of black and white, the mood was one of expectancy.

True, Fergie's side had struggled in front of goal seven days previously against Pompey, but surely normal (Sunday) service would be resumed against an unproven Toon XI with plenty previous here - little of it memorable.

After a close-season of speculation, their Portuguese Prodigal Son was present - but only in a glum-faced spectating capacity. Meanwhile, the much-heralded arrival of new messiah Berbatov proved to be the work of false tabloid prophets, but a ring-rusty Rooney returned.

The appearance of Toon new boys Coloccini and Gutierrez ended any worries over registration or transfer discrepancies, but their fellow countryman Tevez was back in Argentina following a family bereavement, reducing Fergie's forward options still further.

Despite this, our best chance still appeared to be some sort divine intervention - but in the event it was to be something slightly more solid than a wing and a prayer that saw us through, on a day when those oh-so-witty "home" fans nailed it in their songs and displays.

The teams entered the arena to a mass display of red and white cards spelling out the phrase "more goals please", not the work of fans who saw their side notch over a century of strikes last season, but rather a Nike marketing wheeze - complete with attendant swoosh logos.

If that message was directed at the visiting side though, it worked.

And midway through the first half, Obafemi Martins had the Newcastle boss grinning - albeit briefly - as those "cheer up Kevin Keegan" chants proved to be prophetic. 

Our Nigerian striker had been missing here in January due to Nations Cup duty and only recently returned from Africa after suffering personal tragedy, but gave himself - and us - the perfect tonic with a first Toon goal here in four visits.

Not that it was totally undeserved: Shay Given may have been the busier of the two keepers (with one point-blank stop with his head), but Gutierrez had shown some forward promise and Coloccini seamlessly fitted into the back four as looked solid for once.

In typical fashion we restarted a man short and were almost instantly found wanting as the home side levelled amid "normal service resumed" cliches. But if it had been a case of "be careful what you wish for", that other truism "Pride cometh before a fall" wasn't too far away from becoming reality. 

Frustratingly for the Bobby Charlton Fan Club, those pesky Geordies just refused to revert to type and kept plugging away, reaching half time with Given alert and eager when required - and then coming out and doing it all over again.

Rather than invoking memories of the second half slaughter last time round, this Toon performance was reminiscent of our 1998 visit - when we fought from the front and Solksjaer walked for hauling over Robert Lee as he trundled towards goal with the scores at 1-1 and just seconds remaining.

There was to be no such defining moment today, aside from Martins placing a header over the crossbar when similarly left alone at a corner kick as he had been in the first half.

And at the other end Given was called into action again and watched as one effort struck his crossbar. But his triumphant post-match celebrations could be excused, having conceded six goals the last time he'd stood in front of the Stretford End for 45 minutes.

To be leaving the ground with a point thoughts of what if? given the lack of focus the increasingly ordinary home side showed in the second half once Giggs had joined Carrick in the Physio's room, it's tempting to say that we may never have a better chance of winning here.

What we did do though was deservedly take a point where one didn't look realistically achievable. And to do it with some play that was assured at times and grimly determined at others was a bonus, as well as seeing a trio of new recruits make an instant impact - Guthrie's effort and assist being worthy of note.

It's easy to play the "they were rubbish" game and downsize any praise due to Newcastle because of the limitations of the opposition XI. But for anybody tempted we've got three words to say - Derby County away. Remember that one? the only three points the Rams collected last season?

True, there were ragged moments here and KK needs a left back urgently if he's not convinced by Enrique - as Charlie Z there certainly isn't the answer. 

And while we can say that we've never seen a fitter Duff in a Newcastle shirt, that didn't stop us from cursing him on numerous occasions for his other shortcomings.

But groans and grumbles will have ample opportunity to be voiced in the coming months - let's at least wait until our now-traditional end of transfer window bran tub draw has been concluded.

It was pleasing also that our this trip over the M62 passed by without mention of a certain J.Barton - Stretford End lyricists obviously being otherwise engaged recently rhyming "Ronaldo" with "don't go" on a tune from a Stone Roses "B" side.

It's hard to recall one result altering the mood so markedly and for us to be referencing the opening day false dawn duckshoot that was Bolton 2007 denotes some type of progress.

Let's recall though the last time that the Trotters came to SJP, they were party poopers at what was meant to be Kevin Keegan's grand homecoming jamboree. No, take satisfaction from this point, from shutting up legions of slackjaws and from the promise of things to come - and leave it at that.

How can anyone accuse of being greedy and over-demanding, when the best thing we thought that would happen to us this week would be selling Shola?

Biffa