Van scorches past Spanish

Ruud Van Nistelrooy swept into the Manchester United record books last night as two more Champions League goals gave his side a stranglehold at the top of Group D.

But Sir Bobby Robson's return to the Nou Camp ended in defeat as Newcastle went down 3-1, despite a spirited showing against Barcelona.

A goal in each half for Van Nistelrooy earned United a 2-0 victory against old foes Deportivo La Coruna at Old Trafford and took his Champions League tally for the club to 20 in 21 appearances.

Although UEFA do not count the two goals the Holland striker scored in United's two-legged qualifier against Hungarian side Zalaegerszegi in August, United statisticians confirmed last night that they consider him to have beaten Andy Cole's record of 19 goals in 48 games.

United sit on top of their group with a maximum six points and now head into two fixtures against Juventus in February that will effectively determine the outcome of the second phase. Sir Alex Ferguson insisted last night that he cared little for statistics but said: 'Ruud's form has been terrific in the last few weeks and he is one of the best strikers in the world. 'These figures hammer home the point. The first goal was a marvellous header. He could have had two penalties and ended up with four goals.

'His goals tell you everything. He has the highest ratio of goals to games this club has ever seen.' The only black spot for United last night was a booking for Juan Sebastian Veron, which rules him out of the home clash against Juventus on February 19.