Newcastle United 0-1 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points

Ashley Young’s late winner gave Manchester United only their fourth away win of the season. Thanks to their win, United stayed in fourth place and condemned Newcastle to their sixth home defeat of the season. Although they didn’t have much of the ball, the home side looked threatening on the break and should have had a penalty in the first half.In the end, they were made to pay for not taking their chances as Wayne Rooney’s never say die attitude forced a mistake from the excellent Tim Krul and led to Young calmly slotting home from close range. Here are the major talking points from the game:

#1 Assistant, not referee should take the blame

Referees are often given an insane amount of stick that it is a surprise to see that people still want to referee. Almost all the time, the vitriol from the players, managers and fans are directed at the referee, while the assistants are left scot free. Although Anthony Taylor didn't really have a bad game, his assistant Peter Kirkup certainly did.

Whether it was not giving a clear penalty in the first half for Newcastle or raising his flag for offside on a couple of occasions when Rooney was quite clearly onside, Kirkup certainly had a shocker. But once again, it is likely that the referee is at the wrong end of the abuse, when it is quite clearly his assistant, who made all the wrong calls.

#2 Jonas makes emotional return

In an age where limits have ceased to exist and footballers, like bees to honey, just want more and more, it is certainly heart warming to see the appearance of Jonas Gutierrez on the pitch against Manchester United. While many players are out battling for more money, the Argentinean made his return after 17 months following his successful battle with testicular cancer.

While it was clear that he lacked the match sharpness, the roar of approval he got from the crowd when he came on, showed that even in this results-driven business that is football, there is still a place for sheer endeavour and fighting spirit. And sometimes, it is about more than just a game of football.

#3 Di Maria flounders, while Young flourishes

In football, as in life, confidence is so crucial. When the pressure is on and the margin between victory and defeat so vast, a little confidence can go a long way. A perfect illustration of that is the form of Messrs Ashley Young and Angel Di Maria. A year ago, Di Maria was scoring and assisting for fun at Real Madrid and Young was on the fringes of the United setup.

Now the form of the duo couldn't be more different. While Young's finish and his crossing before that reeked of composure, the Argentine looked as though he wanted to do too much and in the end paid for it, by being substituted for the second game running.

#4 Perez needs to start

While John Carver might argue that Ayoze Perez needs some time off the spot light, at least from the evidence gathered from Wednesday's performance, it is clear that Newcastle United need him back from the start soon. Although he was signed for less than a quarter of the fee that Emmanuel Riviere was signed for, the Spaniard has shown that he has the predatory instinct that the Frenchman lacks.

And that was proven as the 25-year-old striker who was preferred to Perez, missed a couple of glorious opportunities, which was in the end, the difference between the Magpies claiming another scalp at home and losing the game.

#5 A tale of two keepers

Although it will go down as a Tim Krul error that led to United's winner, the truth is that there wasn't a lot he could have done with the pass into him by Mehdi Abeid. Aside from that one moment of panic, the Dutch goalkeeper was simply marvellous as he made some brilliant saves to keep his side in the game, especially in the second half.

His opposite number, at the other end, was even better as David de Gea notched up his ninth clean sheet in the league to ensure that his side won away from home for only the fourth time this season. And it was a battle between two of the league's finest keepers, which kept an entertaining and open game to just a single goal.