Manchester United 3-1 Newcastle United: Five Talking Points

A brace from Wayne Rooney and second-half goal from Robin Van Persie was enough to seal all three points for the Red Devils who moved three points clear off fourth-placed Southampton. Although the visitors started the brighter of the two sides, it was United who took the lead thanks to their captain, who doubled his tally and the side’s just before half-time. The second half was a non-event for the most part as the home side were in cruise control as Van Persie added a third after a wonderful clipped ball from Rooney. A late penalty from Papiss Cisse for a clip by Phil Jones was nothing more than a mere consolation for the visitors who were completely outplayed throughout the game.Here are the major talking points from the game.

#1 United\'s attacking trio starting to fire

One of the reasons why Louis Van Gaal chose to go with the 3-4-1-2 formation was that it allowed him to play his three best strikers in the same XI. Although Rooney played in midfield, his passing and willingness to get into the box meant that at times, the Red Devils were simply unstoppable as an attacking force. Not only did Van Persie get the goal, he was also dropping deep at times and his link-up play with Falcao is improving with every single game. All three strikers either had a goal or an assist to their name and that was the first team this season that has happened. If United can keep them fit and also add Angel Di Maria to their ranks, they would be very difficult to contain as the season wears on.

#2 United return to their roots

One of the reasons that made Manchester United so successful over the past two decades was their pace and penetration on the wings. The club have always had world class wingers putting in crosses for the strikers to score. Although they were playing as wing backs, in Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, the Red Devils had two good old-fashioned wingers, beating full backs and whipping in crosses. The duo's ability to stretch the play meant that the visitors, who were trying to replicate the home side's system found it difficult. Young, especially on the left flank got the better of Daryl Janmaat all day long and provided some wonderful crosses, which the strikers were unable to convert.

#3 Old Trafford starting to turn into a fortress

Last season Manchester United dropped 27 points at home including seven defeats. Teams that hadn't won at Old Trafford in ages were coming in without any fear and got their rewards thanks to lacklustre performance from the home side. This time around, the Red Devils have the second-best home record in the League and although they haven't thoroughly convincing in every game as they were against the Magpies, they are getting the job done. The atmosphere in the ground was as good as it was all season and the fans are showing that they are behind the team. If they can keep up their home form and pick up a few more wins away from home, they will be within touching distance of the top two before too long.

#4 Perez was Newcastle\'s lone warrior

Before the start of the game, Newcastle were the only team in the Premier League to not have scored a goal in the opening half hour of a game this season. They had chances to change that at Old Trafford, but their failure to do so meant that they went into half-time 2-0 down. In the second half, nobody apart from Ayoze Perez seemed interested into going forward and attacking and it took until the 80th minute for the visitors to mount a serious threat going forward. While they were richly rewarded for that, Pardew must be wondering what could have been had they decided to do that earlier in the half. As it stands, it was the side's third-straight defeat in the League, a run that the Magpies would want to end on Sunday against Everton.

#5 United\'s boxing day bonanza continues

The Red Devils came into this game after failing to beat a 10-man Aston Villa last Saturday. With the fixtures coming thick and fast, the Red Devils needed a win to not only stay in touch with the leaders but also to maintain their gap over the West Ham, who were occupying the final Champions League spot at the start of the day. Thankfully for the Red Devils, the Magpies proved to be obliging opponents as they extended their run of Boxing Day victories to 11. With tough away trips to Spurs and Stoke in the next few days, an convincing and comfortable victory over Newcastle was just what the doctor ordered for United.