Where Newcastle had laboured in Kiev last week, they served up some thrilling attacking football on their own park, but they simply could not find a way past the imposing Dutchman to send them to Juventus next Tuesday evening still without a point and facing effective elimination from the competition if they do not open their account in Turin.

Robson’s side will feel aggrieved not to have collected something for their efforts here tonight as they more than matched a Feyenoord side which was slick on the counter-attack and determined in midfield, but they were again made to pay for an error at the back, even if it did take something special to beat keeper Shay Given.

Robson, a student of Dutch football, knew exactly what to expect from last season’s UEFA Cup winners, but he could not have anticipated that they would make their move so early in the game.

United had breezed through the early moments with Bellamy and Kieron Dyer looking particularly lively when the Dutchmen found their Achilles heel and brutally plunged in the knife.

Andy Griffin failed to deal with Pierre van Hooijdonk’s flick-on as he headed towards his own goal and Nikos Dabizas could only help the ball back to Pardo, who did not think twice before smashing an unstoppable volley past the stranded Given with the help of a slight deflection off Griffin to give the travelling supporters cause for celebration with just four minutes gone.