Ferguson wants Red Devils reaction

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson wants a reaction similar to that which followed defeat at Newcastle United last season as his side travel to Tyneside again. United crashed to a 3-0 defeat when they visited the Magpies in the Premier League in January but they responded with a run of 11 wins and a draw which, at the time, made them title favourites. Now Ferguson is looking for his team to be similarly inspired as they take on Newcastle on Sunday on the back of last week's 3-2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Ferguson said: "In the second half of the season we had to do something, when you lose a game you have to do something. We lost a game to Tottenham and we have to recover again. Hopefully we can get the result on Sunday. After what happened in the game against Tottenham we need to get on the road in terms of recovery. Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United manager "It won't be easy, it is always a difficult place to go, Newcastle. I think under Alan Pardew they have become a really committed team. But after what happened in the game against Tottenham we need to get on the road in terms of recovery." Both sides were in European action in midweek, with United winning their UEFA Champions League tie at Cluj 2-1 and Newcastle beating Bordeaux 3-0 at home in the UEFA Europa League. Ferguson said: "I watched them last night and they played quite a few of their squad [players], left a few out, and still won convincingly 3-0. "I thought it was a good performance, a good result. They will be buoyed up, the support will be great up there. It will be a hard game, I don't think there is any doubt about that, but hopefully we can navigate it." Selection options United, who remain third in the Premier League despite the Spurs result, were without Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick through illness in Romania while Paul Scholes was rested. They fell behind early on but Ferguson was pleased with the way his team came through with two goals from the prolific Robin van Persie. He said: "There was some promising stuff the other night. "We played really good football at times and it was interesting to play [Wayne] Rooney, Chicharito [Javier Hernandez] and Van Persie together. It gives us some thoughts and options for certain games. "I think our strength is in our attacking options. I put Shinji [Kagawa] on the bench and I have got to think about Scholes, Giggs and Carrick now, which just heightens the problem about picking teams. I hope I pick the right one." From Fifa