Champion Manchester United suffered a second straight Premier League defeat Wednesday, losing 3-0 to Newcastle United to leave Manchester City three points clear at the top of the table. Demba Ba opened the scoring in the first half with his 15th league goal of the season before Yohan Cabaye made it 2-0 in the 47th from a free-kick. A Phil Jones own goal late on made sure Newcastle stayed seventh and a point behind Liverpool. United's third defeat in 20 matches so far meant it stayed second on 45 points, only three ahead of third-placed Tottenham Hotspur which has a game in hand. “It's not the time to panic. We've got the experience to cope with it,” said United manager Alex Ferguson, whose team lost 3-2 to Blackburn on New Year's Eve. Bolton Wanderers shocked Everton 2-1 away from home after Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard had given his side the lead with a freak kick from his own area. His booming wind-assisted clearance bounced over opposite number Adam Bogdan and was only the fourth goal scored by a goalkeeper since the Premier League was formed in 1992-93. Everton stayed 11th on 24 points with a game in hand on all teams bar Tottenham, while Bolton leapt above Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic on 16 points, only one behind Queens Park Rangers and Wolverhampton Wanderers. “We've had such a great season so far without actually turning over one of the top teams. Today we had our best team out and it showed,” Newcastle manager Alan Pardew told Sky Sports. Ferguson conceded matter-of-factly that rival City has the advantage in the Premier League title race. Barcelona crushes Osasuna Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas each scored twice as Barcelona thrilled the Nou Camp with a crushing 4-0 win over Osasuna in their King's Cup last 16 first leg Wednesday. The victory made all the sweeter for Barcelona when talisman Messi came off the bench to add two goals to first-half strikes from the former Arsenal captain. Barca had said Messi would miss the game with flu but the Argentine World Player of the Year was able to replace Pedro for the final half hour against an outclassed Osasuna. “I didn't vomit and there was no fever, I just had a stomach ache, nothing more,” Messi said in a television interview. “That's why I couldn't take part in this morning's training but later on I recovered enough to be able to play.” Barring upsets in next week's second legs, Barca faces a quarterfinal clash with bitter rival Real Madrid, which beat it 1-0 in last year's final. Jose Mourinho's side came back from two goals down to win its last 16 first leg against Malaga 3-2 Tuesday. Real Sociedad, King's Cup winners in 1987, took the upper hand against Real Mallorca when it beat the 2003 champion 2-0 at their Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian earlier Wednesday. There were surprise results in Tuesday's other three games. Third-tier Mirandes took a 2-0 lead over visiting Racing Santander, while another Segunda B side, Albacete, drew 0-0 at home to Athletic Bilbao. Second-division Alcorcon snatched a 2-1 win at home to Levante.
