Halt Nic if you want to nick point

Yes, despite the months and months and months virtually unbeaten.

While Big Phil's men have won all seven of their away sojourns, on their own patch they have triumphed only three times, drawn twice and lost once.

Thirteen goals scored in their corner of the capital compared to 19 on their travels. Even Burnley from football's nether regions dumped them out of the Carling Cup with a capital show.

Hope for a point instead of a hammering? Maybe for some, but can United be one of them? That is quite another matter, of course.

They may have drawn at Manchester United on the opening day, but that was before the depression set in, confidence disappeared down the plughole, and defeat became a way of life. However, to travel without hope, without determination, is not acceptable.

Then the outcome really is inevitable.

Joe Kinnear has to somehow get them back to believing - in Father Christmas bearing gifts if you like! Forget the first half against Wigan. It was a nightmare. Remember instead Aston Villa.

While the prodigious Didier Drogba was the man to fear when Jose Mourinho was prowling the Chelsea dug-out, Scolari has turned Nicolas Anelka into a goal glutton.

The moody one, who scored for Arsenal to deny United the FA Cup as the 90s faded into memory, has gorged himself on eight goals from his last five matches and 13 for the season to make him the leading gunslinger in the top tier of football.

Anelka will test the alertness and concentration of Newcastle's two central defenders, not to mention the reflexes of Shay Given.

He appears to relish playing, with Florent Malouda and Solomon Kalou either side of him, in a 4-3-3 formation which stretches defences and allows him to operate between the two centre-halves.

The surges forward from right-back of Jose Bosingwa, giving Chelsea additional width, have also become a key part of the more attacking approach instilled by Scolari this season.

United have made a habit in recent times of accepting Chelsea's cast-offs - Damien Duff, Geremi, Celestine Babayaro and Scott Parker - although none of them enhanced the black-and-whites' line-up. Therefore let us come back with, say, a point but no extra baggage.

Kinnear's favourite scoreline - he's had three 2-2 draws - would not half do in this case. Two of the three acts of point-sharing have been at home, which isn't so clever, but here it would be glorious. Not very probable, most neutrals would think, but glorious.