Alan Pardew said:

"What pleased me most was that we played with verve and energy again and we looked more like ourselves from last year. 

"The performance level was fantastic and that's a good side, trust me. We had to play very, very well to make it as comfortable as it was.

"I can't say the result flattered us because in the end I thought we deserved to win by a distance. We knocked the spirit out of them in terms of the goals, the clinical nature of them.

"Our passing in the second half made it very difficult for them to get back in the game and that's something we've been working on, controlling games.

"That's a team that haven't been beaten in 17 games or something. I'm telling you that's a great result for us.

"What we have to be careful of is that we have got a return match in Bordeaux and they showed in that first 30 minutes that they are a very good side.

"The second leg will worry me, I have to say, because what I saw was a very good side. It just all fell for us. The goals were at good times and it worked for us.

"People's expectations of him (Obertan) are too high because they want to see him race past the full-back every time, and it's impossible. 

"If he did, the full-back would know what he was going to do, so he has to mix his game up. He has to get the balance right - I thought he did. He was excellent."

Having recently signed the longest contract of his professional life, Alan Pardew watched as his side registered the most resounding victory of his (admittedly short) European managerial career.

Their opponents arrived on Tyneside to defend a seventeen game unbeaten run in all competitons that stretched back to April. Not that you'd know it from their display here though, belying their reputation with a meek showing that gave the home side a perfect warm-up for Sunday's rather sterner test against Manchester United. 

With Danny Simpson and Yohan Cabaye available again, both were in from the start as the United boss selected his strongest available squad but left a trio of his big hitters on the bench in the shape of Ben Arfa, Ba and Santon. Jonas Gutierrez meanwhile had the night off completely.

And while Girondins old boy Gabriel Obertan put in a full shift against the side that gave him his first opportunity in senior football and was rightly praised, it was Cabaye's energy and willingness to get involved that was even more heartening - and of greater significance to our league prospects. 

After his recent cameo appearances from the bench, Shane Ferguson graduated to a first club start in over a year and although nominally playing at full back was able to get upfield as the visitors seldom looked to punch their way down that flank until mackem old boy David Bellion appeared.

Vurnon Anita meanwhile got another 90 minutes under his belt in midfield as he gets up to speed, looking more at home against less physical opponents than he has encountered domestically. It's worth recalling though that he's played in no less than fifteen Champions League and Europa League games for Ajax in the previous two seasons - hardly a rookie compared to the likes of Bigirimana.  

Cabaye sent one early effort narrowly wide, while the visitors went close with a header over the bar but had only taken pot shots at Rob Elliot from distance before Cabaye and Obertan lined up team captain Shola to nudge us ahead.

Doubling our lead in fortunate circumstances, Anita latched on a Cisse pass and was denied a first club goal by Carrasso's block as the French side looked in some disarray and grateful to reach the halfway point only two goals behind - although we'd hardly peppered their goal with shots. 

Any lingering hopes they had of getting anything from the game were soon ended though, when Henri Saivet tried to catch out newly-arrived Steve Harper (replacing groin injury victim Elliot at half time). However his improvised flick was blocked at the base of the post and within 60 seconds the ball was nestling in the back of the net at the other end of the ground. Game over.

The luxury of a three goal lead then allowed Pardew to withdraw Cabaye after an hour and then also protect Tiote, who had reined himself in after picking up an early booking (his third in as many games) for a challenge that was no more than forceful, but provided him with a reminder of UEFA refereeing styles in what was his first European outing since 2008.

And that really was that, on a night when most things went in our favour and a decisive result was achieved that should go a long way to extending our interest in this competition into next year.

After seeing his main trio of strikers all find the net in just over a week, a marginal improvement in available defensive resources and some overdue creativity from the midfield, Alan Pardew was entitled to be in good post-match form and equally positive at his press conference the next day.

Whether history can repeat itself against Fergie's side remains open to question, especially when our makeshift central defence has to handle some top operators. There again though, exactly the same could be said by them about our lot and their own defensive woes.

And looking slightly further ahead, the mackem slayer seems to be warming up nicely ahead of his next chance to claim immortality. Still going in the right direction. 

Biffa