Newcastle laid seige to the United net for most of the tension packed game. Peter Schmeichel was at his world class best in making miracle saves to keep out Ferdinand and Ginola. His detemination and reslience gave the rest of the team the confidence they could hold out. The first half saw United take such a battering that a Newcastle goal seemed inevitable. Beardsley hit the crossbar with a free-kick, while Ferdinand blasted wildly over from just outside the six-yard area when a goal seemed certain.

Then, after having made the sanctuary of the half time interval, cometh the moment, cometh the man. After good work by Andy Cole, a cross swung into the box found Eric Cantona just outside the six yard box. With killer instinct he swung his right leg, connecting on the half volley and powering the ball into the bottom left-hand corner past goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek, who had no chance.

The Newcastle team and their fans were stunned, devastated. Having controlled the game, they were now a goal behind to a team whose net seemed unbreachable. Newcastle piled on yet more pressure in vain for an equaliser that never came.When the final whistle went, all that could be heard was the singing of the small group of United supporters, the rest of St James Park was like a morgue with fans sitting stunned in their seats, some crying.

And there would be more tears for the Geordies in the following weeks, Newcastle never recovered from this blow of losing to their closest rivals and their title challenge collapsed. Dramatic defeats at Liverpool, Blackburn and a late draw at Nottingham Forest ultimately sunk Keegan's team. United were inspired by a sequence of Eric Cantona vital goals and went from strength to strength, winning 7 out of the remaining 9 games, eventually going on to win the title and the Double. Had United lost to Newcastle on this tense Monday night in March, would history have been different? Would the 1996 "Double Double" have ever happened? Very probably not.