Manchester United 4-1 Newcastle United: 5 Talking Points

Manchester United came from behind to register a comfortable victory over Rafa Benitez's Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

The hosts suffered an early setback when Dwight Gayle took advantage of Victor Lindelof's slip to score the first league goal by an opposition player at Old Trafford this season. United equalised through Anthony Martial in the 37th minute, before Chris Smalling's header completed the turnaround at the stroke of half-time.

Paul Pogba extended his side's lead to cap off a brilliant performance on his return from injury and Romelu Lukaku made sure of all three points with a powerfully drilled shot to end a 7-game goal drought.

Here are the talking points from the game:

#5 Newcastle United get off to a flying start

Manchester United v Newcastle United - Premier League

Not even the most optimistic Toon would have anticipated the start Newcastle United made at Old Trafford. Rafa Benitez's side were quick off the blocks, moving the ball around swiftly and creating chances through the middle and also via. set-pieces.

Jonjo Shelvey was impressive in midfield with his wide range of passing, while Jacob Murphy utilized the wings to good measure to test the fullbacks.

They were rewarded with a goal - much to the shock of the Old Trafford crowd - when Victor Lindelof lost his footing while facing a square pass, allowing Dwight Gayle the space to get a shot away and beat David de Gea. That goal was the first conceded by United at Old Trafford in the league this season and the first from open play in all of 2017.

Newcastle kept the pressure on after going ahead, pressing United's defenders in their own half and giving them no room to play the ball forward. Benitez's men were easily the superior side in the opening half-an-hour, creating opportunities while dominating proceedings in midfield.

#4 Victor Lindelof's €35 million tag questionable

Though United ran out comfortable winners in the end, it was not all plain sailing for them. The manner in which the hosts went behind will come under scrutiny, as summer-signing Victor Lindelof was once again guilty of an individual error which led to a goal.

The Swede, who cost United around 35 million, to bring him to Old Trafford from Benfica, was already under fire for a rookie mistake which contributed to United conceding a goal in a 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield in October.

Making his first start in the Premier League, Lindelof 's luck deserted him when he lost his bearings as a low cross was whipped in across the box. Dwight Gayle - who was marked by Lindelof - could barely have had an easier chance to score, as he had all the time available to place his shot with no opposition player close by.

His shot went in off the inside of the post to spark jubilant celebrations in the Newcastle camp.

Lindelof was also caught wandering out of his defensive line and distorting his team's shape when Newcastle came forward.

He did recover thereafter to put in an improved performance, but his discipline and awareness are the major factors which Mourinho must address in order to tangibly justify the lump sum paid for Lindelof's transfer.

#3 Paul Pogba's return from injury a clear boost for Manchester United

The news of club-record signing Paul Pogba's return from injury was like sweet music to many a fan's ears. His inspirational performances in a free role in midfield were missed during his time on the sidelines, as United struggled to put together a string of positive results.

The Frenchman looked rusty in the opening minutes, but once he found his rhythm around the half-hour period, there was no stopping him. His composure to bring the ball out of the defensive zone, excellent vision to pick out a teammate with a lofted pass and the quality of his crosses were all the attributes United were lacking in his absence.

Also read: Twitter explodes as Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic return to sink Newcastle United

His role makes him capable of pulling the whole team together as a unit. His cross to Anthony Martial in the build-up to United's equaliser was perfect, so was his instinct to latch on to Marcus Rashford's lay-off inside the 6-yard box to put the hosts 3-1 up.

His match-sharpness and fitness were up to the mark and hardly indicative of the fact that he was making his first competitive appearance after more than two months out.

#2 Newcastle were hard-working and disciplined under Benitez

The final scoreline was a tad harsh on Newcastle United, as they put in a fine performance away from home to give United some degree of competitiveness. United struggled to break down a very disciplined Newcastle defence in the early periods.

They were also swift to hit their hosts on the counter-attack after winning the ball off them. The lead was deserved as Newcastle had the upper hand in all areas of the pitch until that point.

Rafa Benitez's sides are always well-trained and well-organized at the back and United found their promoted opponents tough shells to crack. Anthony Martial could not approach the byline as easily as he was able to in the earlier games of the season, while Juan Mata's passes through the heart of the defence were well judged and dealt with, by the centre-halves.

It was United's quality which shone through towards the end of the first half and during the second half. Until then, Newcastle managed to frustrate the crowd with some dogged defending and a series of counter-attacks.

#1 Can Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku play together?

Apart from Pogba's return from the treatment table, another figure whom the Old Trafford faithful waited with bated breath was 36-year old star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Swede, who has a glittering reputation across the top leagues in Europe, was given a massive reception as he entered the fray in the 77th minute after spending more than six months out of football due to a hyper-extended knee.

Many feared that the game where he suffered his injury would be his last in a United shirt. Zlatan, however, would go on to defy all odds to recover ahead of schedule and resume first-team duties ahead of crucial fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester City in early December.

His scissor kick late in the game was suggestive enough to conclude that he was leaving no stone unturned in his pursuit of fitness.

But, how will Ibrahimovic and Lukaku fit in the same team? A good selection headache as far as Jose is concerned.

Judging from evidence from this game, Lukaku shifted wide in order to accommodate the veteran, Ibrahimovic. But that is a position which the Belgian is quite unfamiliar with, both for club and country. With the match already in the bag by the time Ibrahimovic came on, Mourinho could afford to shift Lukaku out of position.

However, if the pair have to start together on the field, it is important that Mourinho adopts a system of two strikers upfront or putting Zlatan at number 10 and playing him off Lukaku. With Zlatan confirming his interest in playing a number 10 role, there is no reason why Mourinho should not give that system a go over the next couple of gameweeks, before the big games arrive.

Edited by Aakanksh Sanketh