Goals:

0-1: Young (89, slotted home from close range after Abeid’s ill-advised back-pass forced Krul into a rushed clearance)

Bookings: Rojo (60, foul), Gutierrez (67, foul), Valencia (84, foul)

Referee: Anthony Taylor (Wythenshawe) – Got things horribly wrong when he failed to award Newcastle an early penalty for a foul on Riviere 3

Attendance: 49,801

Entertainment: ***

 

NEWCASTLE (4-4-2):

6 Krul: Made an exceptional double save in the second half, but was at fault for the goal as he failed to adequately clear his lines

7 Janmaat: Another impressive display from the Dutchman, who largely kept Young quiet and couldn’t be faulted for the winger’s strike

6 Coloccini: Solid and reliable for the majority of the game, but switched off in the first half as Rooney was left unmarked

7 WILLIAMSON: Refused to be pulled out of position by Rooney’s movement and made a number of important interventions

6 R Taylor: Won his personal tussle against Di Maria, but was tiring before he was taken off shortly after the hour mark

4 Obertan: Another frustrating performance from the Frenchman, with his lack of end product glaringly apparent once again

4 Abeid: Struggled on Saturday, and failed to get to the pace of the game again – played Krul into trouble with a dreadful panicked back-pass

6 Sissoko: Tried to wrest control of the central midfield area, but struggled to get forward as much as he would have liked

5 Ameobi: A couple of lively bursts is insufficient to merit an extended run in the team – needs to add a cutting edge to his game

6 Riviere: Failed to convert a decent second-half opportunity in the six-yard box, but should definitely have won a first-half penalty

5 Cisse: Came close with a decent late header, but spurned a glorious second-half opportunity by shanking a shot wide

 

Subs:

Perez (for Riviere, 59): Added some pace and movement to the Newcastle attack and showed a willingness to run into the channels 6

Gutierrez (for R Taylor, 64): His return was one of the most emotional moments of the season and he did not look out of place back on the Premier League stage 6

Gouffran (for Ameobi, 81)

(not used): Woodman (gk), Satka, Anita, Armstrong.

 

MAN UNITED (4-2-3-1):

De Gea 7; Valencia 7, Smalling 5, Evans 6, Rojo 5 (Carrick 89); Herrera 7, BLIND 8; Di Maria 5 (Januzaj 58, 5), Fellaini 4 (Mata 84), Young 7; Rooney 6.

Subs (not used): Lindegaard (gk), Jones, McNair, Falcao.

 

Man Of The Match: DALEY BLIND – The Dutchman controlled the midfield area with a composed passing display that ensured Manchester United remained on the front foot.