Football: Hughes injury blow to United

Newcastle United 1

Manchester United 1

The huge poster outside St James' Park summed up the day. "Defence Spending Set To Rise" and beneath the words was a photograph of Andy Cole. The picture could not have been more pertinent.

Even in a match in which he did not play, Cole's influence was profound. His record £7m transfer was always going to set the tone, anyway, but the identity of yesterday's scorers underlined it: Mark Hughes, the man likely to make way at Old Trafford, andPaul Kitson, who will attempt to replace Cole at Newcastle.

A scriptwriter could not have come up with a better denouement. Hughes' goal had a poignancy beyond the fact he was commonly considered to be playing his final game for Manchester United. The 31-year-old striker was rumoured to be about to join Everton, but that move and his immediate future were jeopardised by a serious knee ligament injury. He was kept in a local hospital overnight and no one could hazard a guess when he would play again.

It was typical of his barnstorming style that the injury was incurred while scoring. Roy Keane crossed from the right after 12 minutes and the ball was helped on by a mis-flick from Eric Cantona. Hughes was on to it in an instant, turning and stretching to shoot with his right-foot as Pavel Srnicek narrowed the angle. The goalkeeper's momentum made a collision inevitable.

"It's a terrible blow for Manchester United," Alex Ferguson, Hughes' manager, said. "I knew as soon as he went down in a heap it was a bad one. Mark's not the sort to stay down unless he's seriously injured."

Hughes' injury had an unsettling effect on both teams, and the first half was a mess of mis-placed passes and players straying offside. Newcastle, without the injured Peter Beardsley as well as Cole, struggled with just Kitson up front, and it was only when Ruel Fox was pushed up alongside him five minutes before the interval that the home team attacked with conviction.

Indeed, the change had an immediate effect and the first half ended with Newcastle charging. First, Steve Howey mis-hit a shot on the penalty spot after Fox had flicked on, and then Robert Lee clipped the bar after Kitson had cleverly found his run from the right flank.

Their superiority established, Newcastle tore at the Manchester goal and it was thoroughly deserved when the equaliser arrived after 67 minutes. Robbie Elliott crossed from the left and Kitson made the most of a rebound from Gary Pallister's shoulder to turn sharply and push the ball through Peter Schmeichel's legs.

"Kitson did well," his manager, Kevin Keegan, said. "Things were not going his way at the start but he kept at it and once he got the goal he started to work the channels well. He will be a good player. He has things to work on, but then so do most players."

The last twist was that it was the Mancunians rather than Newcastle who finished stronger, even though Ferguson, who was further hampered by Steve Bruce being affected by flu, conceded his United had been lucky to get a draw.

Roy Keane had a shot blocked by Srnicek after David May had set him clear and, in the final seconds Cantona, was agonisingly close with a shot that bounced along the line after Ryan Giggs had run 50 yards and crossed from the left.

"We could have won it even though we didn't deserve to," Ferguson said. "I'm happy with the point but obviously unhappy that we've lost ground to Blackburn."

The champions are now five points in arrears of the leaders and have played a game more. The Newcastle crowd, meanwhile, ended the game as they had started, chanting Keegan's name in a ringing endorsement of the shock decision to sell Cole. "They were magnificent all day," Keegan said. "Even when we went 1-0 down. I just hope I can build them the team they deserve."

Newcastle United (4-1-4-1): Srnicek; Hottiger, Peacock, Howey, Beresford, Venison, Fox, Lee, Clark, Elliott, Kitson. Substitutes not used: Mathie, Watson, Hooper (gk).

Manchester United (4-4-2): Schmeichel; Irwin, Bruce (May, h-t), Pallister, Sharpe, Butt, Keane, McClair, Giggs, Hughes (Scholes, 15), Cantona. Substitutes not used: May, Walsh (gk).

Referee: S Lodge (Barnsley).

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