Manchester United 4-1 Newcastle United: 5 Talking Points

#2 Newcastle were hard-working and disciplined under Benitez

Manchester United v Newcastle United - Premier League

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.