Souness opens with win

Newcastle 2 Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin 0

Patrick Kluivert eased Newcastle towards the group stage of the UEFA Cup in Graeme Souness’ first game in charge – but at some cost.

The Dutchman’s first-half double paved the way for United to see off Israeli minnows Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin when they head for Tel Aviv in a fortnight’s time, but the vicotry was soured by midfielder Nicky Butt’s needless dismissal just two minutes after coming on as a substitute.

To make matters worse, midfielder Kieron Dyer and defender Aaron Hughes both limped off with injuries to take the gloss off straight-forward victory in front of a crowd of just 30,221.

Sakhnin skipper Abas Suan, the man with whom Butt clashed to earn his marching orders, was also sent off after being yellow-carded for the second time for his part in the melee.

Portuguese referee Antonio Costa booked another five men – four of them for the Israel side – as the game threatened to descend into farce.

United seemed ready to take the game by storm against the side that finished 10th in the Israeli league last season.

But they could not make the pressure tell enough to kill off the tie as Eyal Lachman’s side made full use of the chaos after the break to limit the damage and leave themselves a chance in the second leg.

United skipper Alan Shearer had found himself relegated to the bench for the final game of the reigns of both Ruud Gullit and Sir Bobby Robson. Souness launched his by naming the 34-year-old only among the substitutes alongside Craig Bellamy, although with Sunday’s Barclays Premiership trip to Southampton to come, there was nothing sinister about the move.

The main beneficiary of Shearer’s absence was Holland international Patrick Kluivert – Robson’s summer recruit from Barcelona.

It was little surprise that he opened the scoring with just three minutes gone, firing home left-footed effort from close range after Lee Bowyer and Dyer had both hindered Sakhnin’s efforts to clear a Laurent Robert cross after defender Aziz Rabbah gifted the ball to the Frenchman.

There were few raised eyebrows when Kluivert did the trick once again four minutes before half-time, meeting a Robert corner with a powerful header that went in off the underside of the crossbar.

What transpired between the two goals was a little disconcerting as, despite their almost total dominance, Newcastle were unable to kill the tie.

Zimbabwean keeper Energy Mumarbadoro made splendid saves from both Kluivert and Bowyer, but the work-rate and commitment of the Israeli side meant that, for long periods, the Magpies struggled to find the space they needed to open up their opponents.

Robert clearly had the beating of marker Ahmed Kasum, and Rabbah’s efforts to cover his team-mate often dragged him out of position. Kluivert oozed class, but Souness’ men were guilty of squandering possession too often and struggled to break Sakhnin down as regularly as they would have liked.

Lachman’s game side battled away with lone striker Edith Olumide Agoye and left-winger Alain Masudi always lively, but it was Suan who tested Shay Given with a 28th-minute drive which required a solid save.

United could have extended their lead with the second half barely a minute old after Kluivert turned elegantly away from his marker and fed Dyer, who in turn rolled the ball into Bowyer’s path.

However, the midfielder did not make a clean contact with his first-time shot and Murambadoro was able to save comfortably.

Kluivert saw a long-range effort deflected wide by Basem Genaiem’s lunge, but the fireworks were still to come when Butt, a 58th-minute replacement for Dyer, and Suan clashed in the middle of the pitch on the hour.

The former Manchester United man was given a straight red card for pushing Suan, who was himself yellow-carded for the second time.

Bowyer, who had adopted a robust approach from the off, went into the book for a foul on Olumide, sparking calls for calm from Souness on the sideline.

The former Leeds midfielder fired high over on 71 minutes as United struggled to reaasert themselves, but it took a last-ditch header from Avi Danan to deny Kluivert a hat-trick 12 minutes from time after substitute James Milner cut in and crossed from the right.

Milner went himself on 81 minutes to test Murambadoro from distance, but it took a vital block from full-back Stephen Carr to keep out Kasum after he wormed his way into the box seconds later.

United’s efforts to add to their tally as the clock ran down became increasingly futile, and the applause which greeted the final whsitle was distinctly muted.