Newcastle reality check - gloves are off as Carew puts focus on the drop

On the pitch, John Carew tossed his hand-warmers to one side and then did the same to gutless Newcastle as he battered and bullied his way to a second-half hat-trick.

Off it, United's new boss and his bedraggled set of under-performing 'stars' finally faced up to a very real threat.

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"Relegation hasn't been mentioned in team talks," said Damien Duff.

"But anyone who has got half a brain can see we need to pick up points and the sooner the better."

The Barclays Premier League table does not lie.

Sunderland have been embroiled in a desperate fight but are now just two points away from Keegan's side.

"All our away games are against teams in the top half and we've got some tough games coming up," said the manager.

"I'm under no illusions. It doesn't matter who you are, you have to get to 40 points."

Precisely. Now that the circus that encircled the Tynesiders has come to a temporary stop — they have a two-week break courtesy of an FA Cup exit — perhaps Keegan can take a reality check.

Opposite number Martin O'Neill delivered a sharp lesson in just how to turn round the fortunes of a floundering club after Villa's defence were temporarily beaten at their own game.

Michael Owen proved he is more than just a one-trick pony by nodding home James Milner's cross after four minutes.

Villa were clueless until the interval, with the visitors happy to pass the ball around them.

The Irishman then made two substitutions at half-time and Villa undoubtedly enjoyed a slice of luck as Wilfred Bouma's deflected shot beat Shay Given to level matters.

Newcastle then caved in as Carew scored on 51 and 71 minutes with headers before rounding off a great afternoon with a penalty after Stephen Carr handled.

The match carried haunting echoes of the visitors' capitulation at Old Trafford four weeks ago and Duff, honest amid the fast-disappearing euphoria of Keegan's re-appointment, said: "This has been the story of the past six weeks. We come in after a great first half then go to pot in the second. It went pear shaped.

"I don't know why it's happening otherwise it wouldn't be. The first goal took a deflection and Shay slipped as well. The game changes then because they get momentum behind them.

"We've got a lot of work to do. We are way off what Newcastle expect. It's a good thing we haven't got a game as it gives us two weeks to work on the training ground.

"When I was at Blackburn it was said we were too good to go down. We went down. So we're in a fight. We've got a tough run-in and we need to start picking up points."

Team-mate Steven Taylor agreed with the sentiments.

He said: "In the second it was like the Manchester United game. The shape had gone and set-pieces cost us. We're in a hole. We need to dig ourselves out of it and stick together. We've got enough time."

It is 18 months since O'Neill joined Villa, a club then lacking in confidence.

It almost oozes out of the walls of the place these days. One of the Villa boss's first proclamations was: "We need to find different ways of scoring goals."

He meant he was going to buy Ashley Young, whose consistency of delivery from wide areas is difficult to counter.

With three men the size of Carew, Marlon Harewood and Martin Laursen to aim at, it is little wonder set-pieces have been a rich source for O'Neill.

Harewood charged about like a man possessed but it was Norway striker Carew who caught the eye with his hat-trick after getting rid of his gloves at the interval.

"I smashed hands with Freddy Bouma at half-time," he said.

"He had this warming cream on his hand. I thought if I got it on to the gloves and then wiped my face, that I wouldn't be able to see. So I took them off. It's not that I was warm."