Shearer dreaming of chance to turn the tables on Inter

One of Alan Shearer's happiest nights in football has given him the chance of revenge for one of his most miserable.

The first half hat-trick which ripped the guts out of Bayer Leverkusen here on Wednesday night was Shearer's first in Europe, as well as, remarkably, containing his first Champions League goals from open play.

It was not however the personal milestone that Shearer was relishing in the aftermath of the 3-1 win.

Rather, it was the opportunity to settle a score with an Inter side which, in December, inflicted a 4-1 humiliation on Newcastle in front of their own supporters.

That ill-tempered clash resulted in Craig Bellamy, who was sent off for lashing out at Marco Materazzi, being suspended for three matches and, subsequently, a two-match ban for Shearer after he was caught by the television cameras elbowing Fabio Cannavaro.

Neither striker could reasonably complain that their punishments were unwarranted. But there is no doubting the lingering bitterness on Tyneside over the barrage of provocation the duo had to endure at the hands of the Inter defenders.

With Bellamy available for action again having served his ban, Shearer promised Inter they would have a battle on their hands in the San Siro on March 11.

"We gave ourselves a mountain to climb in the group, losing to Inter and then Barcelona," Shearer said.

"But we have come back with two victories and who knows what might happen now. We certainly won't give it up, that is for sure.

"We were determined to give ourselves a chance going to Milan and that is what we have done."

Newcastle's second win over Bayer, who have slumped from being last year's Champions League runners up to Bundesliga relegation candidates, leaves them a point behind Inter, who held group leaders Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in the San Siro on Wednesday.

Newcastle now know they cannot afford to lose in Milan if they are to have a chance of clinching a quarter-final place in what could a mouth-watering finale to the group at home to Barcelona on March 19.

"I wanted Barcelona to win that match, that would have been better result for us," Newcastle boss Bobby Robson admitted.

"But it's still in our hands. If we can go to Milan and get a result we'll have to build a new stadium to get all the people that will want to see the Barcelona game.

"There is no reason why we should fall away. I know we have Premiership games coming thick, fast and heavy but so have Inter and Barcelona.

"We are on a good run, we're scoring goals and the defence is looking pretty watertight."

One black spot from Wednesday's victory was Robson's revelation that Kieron Dyer, who has been in scintillating form in recent weeks, has begun to be affected by the shin problems which have dogged his career.

Robson admitted the England midfielder has been unable to train since Saturday and could have to be rested for Saturday's Premiership visit by Chelsea, one of the teams battling Newcastle for a place in next season's Champions League.

While the future for Newcastle looks increasingly bright, Bayer's fourth straight defeat in the group means they have nothing left to contemplate this season but a grim battle against relegation from Germany's top flight.

The loss, at the start of the season, of players of the calibre of Michael Ballack and Ze Roberto has inevitably taken its toll on the club this season.

But a lack of solidity at the back has also played a role in the club's fall from grace, which resulted in the sacking of coach Klaus Toppmoller earlier this month.

Horrendous errors gifted Newcastle their first two goals, both headers from Shearer and allowed the watching Robson to relish the sight of his pre-match game plan being implemented in the first 12 minutes.

"We knew they were having a torrid time and if you lay off and give them some time to build up their rhythm and cohesion they can give you problems," Robson said.

"So the plan was to get at them early and we went for it. One point was not good enough for us tonight. We had to go for a win and we did it."

Newcastle did have a crucial let off when Bayer's Brazilian striker Franca was pulled down by Shay Given inside the box.

Given must have thought he was destined for the dressing room. But Danish referee Bo Larsen inexplicably decided not to even book the Newcastle keeper, who duly took maximum advantage of his good fortune by diving low to his right to hold Neuville's scuffed spot-kick.

But when Dyer was pulled back by Thomas Kleine ten minutes from the break, Shearer seized the opportunity to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot and kill the game as a contest.

Marko Babic scored a well-taken second-half goal for Bayer but by then there was no way back for the Germans.