Sir Alex Ferguson has demanded his side recover from their loss to Tottenham Hotspur by beating Newcastle United on Sunday.

Manchester United face Alan Pardew's side at St James' Park as they look to get their Premier League title challenge back on track.

Ferguson, however, recognises that it won't be an easy task for his side, who faltered at Newcastle last season, losing 3-0. The Scot admits that they cannot afford a repeat of that game this time around.

"When you lose a game, you have to recover," Ferguson said. "We lost a game to Tottenham, we have to recover again. It's as simple as that.

"Hopefully, we can get a result on Sunday, but it won't be easy. They will be buoyed up, the supporters are great up there. It will be a hard game, no doubt about that, but hopefully we can navigate it.

"Of course, it is always a difficult place to go and I think under [Alan] Pardew, they've become a really committed team."

Third-placed United are currently four points behind league leaders Chelsea.