Wayne Rooney scored twice after some brilliant play from his fellow players before he set up Robin van Persie for a brilliant header. Papiss Cissé scored a late consolation penalty for Alan Pardew’s side after silly challenge from Phil Jones on Jack Colback.
As the VAVEL preview said coming into this game these teams are ‘United in name, contrasting in form’ a phrase that perfectly sums up these sides. In spite of their disappointing draw away at Aston Villa on Saturday, United are still unbeaten in 7 games after their narrow derby defeat at Manchester City. Newcastle meanwhile have suffered some poor defeats as of late, 4-1 at Arsenal is not a disgrace but 4-0 away to an up and down Spurs and especially the 1-0 home defeat to arch-rivals Sunderland has well and truly ended their superb run of form that saw them end Chelsea’s unbeaten record.
Louis van Gaal’s only change for this game was the decision to drop Darren Fletcher to the bench in favour of young Paddy McNair. Alan Pardew made 2 changes for the Magpies with Vurnon Anita coming in for Cheikh Tioté and Sammy Ameobi replaced by 17-year old Adam Armstrong.
It was a quite opening 10 minutes at Old Trafford with neither side able to create but Newcastle’s Spanish striker Ayoze Pérez made a superb run from the halfway line beating Michael Carrick and Jonny Evans with ease before McNair tackled on the edge of the box stopping him from getting his effort away. Evans made another mistake 4 minutes later allowing Armstrong to dispossess him before the young Geordie crossed the ball for his strike partner Pérez who tried to hit it first even though he had more time than he realised.
United’s first chance came from a trademark Ashley Young cut back and cross, it was destined for Radamel Falcao before it took a deflection and went out for a corner that led to nothing. Today Rooney was playing in centre midfield and the first time he got time on the ball he sent forward a wonderful lifted through ball into the path of Robin van Persie and the Dutchman rounded the keeper but from such a tight angle he couldn’t work it into the net.
Early in the first half Pardew’s side looked dangerous on the break and in the 19th minute Daryl Janmaat got to the ball just ahead of Young before he drove at the United defence. The rest of the defence backed away allowing him to unleash a driving effort that De Gea saved brilliantly even with the deflection taking it further away from him.
United then took the lead in the 24th minute courtesy of slick move from the United players finishing with a Rooney tap-in. The aforementioned Rooney started the move with a pass to Juan Mata and the Spaniard lifted the ball over the defensive line for Falcao in the box who put it back across goal for Rooney. The 29-year old had continued his run into the box and only had to get it on target which he did to put his side ahead.
Falcao then had a chance of his own after another Young cross found him in the box and he was unable to get any serious contact with the ball and as a result his header went wide. They didn’t have to wait long to double their as the same 3 players who were involved in the first helped to score the second as well. Falcao won the ball with a brilliant tackle outside the Newcastle box; it went back to Phil Jones who played it Mata. Mata made the run inside along the 18-yard box before sliding the ball inside the box for Rooney to tuck away into the corner.
That was the last chance of a half in which Manchester United were comfortable in the most part. The start of the 2nd half was much the same as the first with little to shout about for either side but in the 52nd minute Rooney created a moment of magic to help put his side 3-0 up. He received the ball just ahead of the centre circle and lifted his head before playing a superb chip ball perfectly timed for Van Persie who snuck in between Steven Taylor and Janmaat to head home past Alnwick into the opposite corner.
Newcastle youngster Armstrong then had a half chance following a Jack Colback costless kick. The costless kick was sent to the back post before being cleared to the edge of the area where it fell to Armstrong who fired just wide. Not long after the Armstrong chance Steven Taylor was booked for a foul on Mata just on the edge of the Newcastle box and from the resulting costless kick Rooney fired just over.
A few substitutions followed with Michael Carrick and Radamel Falcao coming off for Darren Fletcher and James Wilson respectively. In between those substitutions Newcastle made 2 of their own with Armstrong and Paul Dummett coming off for Papiss Cissé and Remy Cabella.
An extremely quiet 20 minutes followed ended only by a header from Steven Taylor that he put over after Pérez’s costless kick. Newcastle did manage to pull one back in the end after Jones rather foolishly tripped Jack Colback inside the box. Colback had already passed the ball before he made his run across the back of Jones. Cissé stepped up and scored superbly right into the top corner giving the in-form De Gea no chance whatsoever.
