Manchester United have progressed to the next round of the Capital One Cup at Newcastle’s expense, after a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
Anderson grabbed the first goal for the Red Devils on the stroke of half-time, before Tom Cleverley doubled the hosts’ advantage.
Papiss Cisse did grab one back for the Magpies, but United held on to progress.
Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that he was happy with the result and glad to get through to the next round of the competition.
“Newcastle had a stronger team than us physically but we played some fantastic football and we deserved to win,” Ferguson told Sky Sports.
“We want to progress as far as we can in this competition and will do our best to do that.”
Alan Pardew admitted that he is happy that Cisse ended his goal drought, with the Senegal international also netting a second with an overhead kick that crashed off the United crossbar close to the end of the game.
“There are a lot of positives to take out of tonight,” Pardew stated.
“The media can’t hang that tag round Papiss’ neck that he has not scored anymore. That goal means everything to him. There is nothing in his work-rate that has changed. Sometimes a goal can make a difference.
“You could see that little bit of exuberance return to his game with the overhead kick. I thought that was in,” he concluded.
By Gareth McKnight