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Man United begins season by beating Newcastle

Manchester United began its bid for a record-breaking 19th English league title by cruising to a 3-0 victory over promoted Newcastle on Monday.

Ryan Giggs extended his record of scoring in every season since the Premier League’s inception in 1992 by volleying home in the 85th minute.

Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Fletcher scored in the first half, but Wayne Rooney went a 13th match for United and England without a goal.

While United is trying to regain the Premier League trophy from Chelsea, Newcastle’s priority is survival after bouncing straight back up following a season in the League Championship.

“The most important thing in the first game is to win and, even though we could have scored more, we’ll take that,” United midfielder Paul Scholes said. “When we scored we were a constant threat after that and moved them around quite a lot.”

After a lackluster World Cup, Rooney started equally forlornly in the Premier League — curling wide of the target after meeting Nani’s neat backheeled pass.

United winger Nani’s deflected attempt went wide before Newcastle midfielder Alan Smith flung his body in the way of John O’Shea’s shot. Rooney dragged a shot wide after meeting a free kick and then sent a close-range volley over from Berbatov’s header.

Berbatov put United in front in the 33rd minute.

Newcastle defender Jose Enrique inadvertently directed United midfielder Paul Scholes’ through ball to Berbatov, who steadied himself and then dispatched the ball into the far corner past goalkeeper Steve Harper from an acute angle.

Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton could have equalized when Nani lost possession on the edge of the penalty area, but he went for goal rather than attempting to pick out better-placed teammates and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar made a comfortable save.

It proved to be a costly misjudgment with United extending its lead in the 41st.

Nani sent Patrice Evra racing into the penalty area and, although Rooney could not control the France defender’s low cross, he managed to nudge the ball for Darren Fletcher to turn Fabricio Coloccini on the edge of the six-yard box and find the net.

“We just had to tire them out as much as we could,” Scholes said. “The second half especially, I really enjoyed that: creating chances, looking like we were going to score whenever we went forward.”

But Rooney, who last scored against Bayern Munich in March, continued to look uneasy in front of goal and was replaced in the 63rd minute by new signing and Mexico forward Javier Hernandez.

Two United veterans combined for the third goal late on: Scholes picking out Giggs, whose first-time volley hit the ground before flying into the far right corner.

“It was a great goal to watch,” Scholes said. “We kept the ball well and it was a fantastic goal to start off with.”