LAURENT Robert has hit the headlines this week by claiming that Newcastle have gone backwards since they were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Marseille last season.

Manager Graeme Souness might not agree with his brutally frank assessment but, after crashing out of the competition to Sporting Lisbon at the quarter-final stage last night, the facts would seem to bear out his viewpoint.

Newcastle were in the driving seat for most of their second-leg tie after Kieron Dyer's impudent first-half strike had given them a two-goal aggregate lead.

But, after Marius Niculae hauled Sporting back into things in the closing stages of the first half, the Magpies imploded after the interval to leave their dreams of European success in tatters.

They weren't helped by a succession of injury blows - the irrepressible Dyer and the influential Titus Bramble were both forced from the fray - and Newcastle were in defensive disarray by the time Beto headed Sporting's crucial third goal following an earlier strike from Sa Pinto.

Fabio Rochemback gave the scoreline an even more emphatic look in stoppage time, and how Graeme Souness now lifts his side for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United is anybody's guess.

Whatever tactics he adopts, he is likely to be without a host of his leading lights as he attempts to salvage something from a season that is rapidly running out of steam.

Robert's pre-match missive ensured he did not even make it onto the bench last night and the controversial winger was one of six players to pay with their place following Sunday's slip-up at Spurs.

Souness's assertion that last night's game, and Sunday's FA Cup semi-final, were Newcastle's two biggest games for 35 years seemed to overlook last year's UEFA Cup semi-final and recent FA Cup finals against Arsenal and Manchester United.

Nevertheless, the prospect of reaching the last four of a European competition for the second year in a row offered him a chance to placate the same Newcastle's fans who were voicing their discontent as recently as February's visit to Heerenveen.

Souness had urged his side to start with "all guns blazing" as they defended the narrowest of first-leg leads but, instead, it was a slick Sporting side that posed all of the early threat.

With teenager Charles N'Zogbia making an understandably nervy start, Newcastle were repeatedly exposed on their left flank and, were it not for Shay Given's rapid reactions, the visitors could have found themselves behind inside the opening 30 seconds.

Marauding full-back Rogerio split the Magpies defence with a measured one-two with Joao Moutinho, but Newcastle's goalkeeper was alert to the threat and saved the defender's low strike with his legs.

Rogerio was back on the offensive three minutes later and, after he found Moutinho on the edge of the area, Lee Bowyer was forced into a despairing diving block.

The midfielder spent most of the opening quarter of an hour mopping up on the edge of his own box and, with Sporting's precise passing causing Newcastle problems, Carlos Martins blasted narrowly wide of the right-hand upright from the 18-yard line.

But, just as the Portuguese hosts looked to be at their most dangerous, Dyer's pace and positive running swung the tie United's way.

The Magpies midfielder had served notice of his intent with two early runs behind a static Sporting backline.

Neither had amounted to much - one saw him flagged for offside while the other saw Anderson Polga cut out Jermaine Jenas' through ball - but they successfully alerted his team-mates to the Portuguese side's dislike of Dyer's marauding style.

That dislike became blind panic in the 20th minute, with Anderson Polga diverting Jenas' flick on into the England international's path.

Dyer has been accused of lacking composure in the past but, after twisting his way past Rui Jorge, he calmly slipped the ball through goalkeeper Ricardo's legs to give Newcastle a priceless away goal.

They should have had two 12 minutes later but, after Alan Shearer had galloped clear down the right flank, Bowyer could not match his team-mate's assurance as he lashed the skipper's pull-back over the crossbar.

That miss did not look too costly at the time but, five minutes before the break, Sporting grabbed an equaliser to keep their hopes of making the semi-final alive.

Moutinho, almost inevitably, was the instigator and, with Newcastle's defenders dropping far too deep, Romanian striker Nicolae was able to head his cross home from no more than six yards.

The impressive Moutinho went close to scoring himself on the stroke of half-time - his stinging first-time volley was saved superbly by Given - before Dyer ended a frenetic first half by firing into the side-netting after he broke free yet again on the right flank.

The 26-year-old is distraught at missing Sunday's FA Cup semi-final as a result of his much-publicised fracas with Bowyer and, on the evidence of last night's display, Newcastle will miss him greatly in the Millennium Stadium.

They might be missing him for even longer than that as, after terrorising the Sporting defence for the best part of an hour, Dyer was forced from the field as his long-standing hamstring troubles resurfaced yet again.

Titus Bramble was also forced off in the early stages of the second half, and the cumulative effect of the enforced changes saw Newcastle's defending become increasingly fraught as Sporting began to throw caution to the wind.

Rui Jorge fired over after a slip from the otherwise impressive Steven Taylor, before Beto planted a free header narrowly wide after nobody in United colours reacted to Carlos Martins' corner.

Suddenly, Sporting were undeniably in the ascendancy and the mood of the game changed totally with 19 minutes to go. Given could only parry Pedro Barbosa's strike and the loitering Sa Pinto was left free to tap the rebound home.

That left Newcastle teetering on the brink, and Sporting skipper Beto delivered the knockout blow six minutes later.

Rochemback's whipped corner was an open invitation, and the centre-half stole in unmarked to plant an unstoppable header past a helpless Given.

That was bad enough, but things got worse in stoppage time when Stephen Carr miscontrolled a pass from Given and Rochemback robbed him of possession before calmly sliding the ball into the gaping net.

Result: Sporting Lisbon 4 Newcastle United 1.

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