Ashley Young's goal in the final minute of the game helped Manchester United overcome Newcastle United 1-0 at St James' Park this evening.
The Premier League contest had plenty of big talking points and near misses throughout, with both sides coming close to breaking the deadlock on a night of high drama on Tyneside.
It took until the 89th minute before Young finally breached Tim Krul's goal, however, as he capitalised on a mix-up at the back to ensure that the Red Devils' top-four hopes are still very much alive.
Relive how all the action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St James' Park.
The Red Devils are looking good to achieve their target of a top-four finish having lost just two of their last 16 games in the top flight heading into this evening's clash. Louis van Gaal's men also boast an impressive record at this ground in recent times, and they come up against a Newcastle side struggling for consistency with their last back-to-back victories coming back in November.
Kickoff on Tyneside is less than an hour away now, so let's begin by taking a look at how the two teams line up...
TEAM NEWS!
NEWCASTLE UNITED STARTING XI: Krul, Janmaat, Coloccini, Williamson, R.Taylor, Obertan, Sissoko, Abeid, Ameobi, Riviere, Cisse
MANCHESTER UNITED STARTING XI: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Evans, Rojo, Blind, Herrera, Di Maria, Fellaini, Young, Rooney
Starting with the home side, then, and John Carver has been forced to select Ryan Taylor at left-back due to the absence of Massadio Haidara who, as expected, has failed to overcome a knee injury in time to feature. Remmy Cabella is also on the sidelines, while Jack Colback completes his two-match ban.
Interestingly, two players in the Magpies' starting lineup know opposition boss Louis van Gaal very well indeed; Tim Krul and Daryl Janmaat having played under the experienced coach for the Netherlands national side as recently as last summer's World Cup. They will be joined at the back by Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson and the aforementioned Taylor, with Papiss Cisse the man tasked with leading the line this evening.
As far as the away side are concerned, Van Gaal has made one change to his starting line up with Radamel Falcao dropping out in place of Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian is playing in a centre-forward role alongside Wayne Rooney, which means we are likely to see a direct approach once more from the Red Devils.
The Dutchman has shown faith in Angel di Maria, who starts this evening despite being hauled off at half time in United's last outing. Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling retain in their places in the heart of defence, meanwhile, being flanked by Antonio Valencia and Marcos Rojo.
BENCH WATCH!
NEWCASTLE UNITED SUBS: Woodman, Satka, Anita, Gutierrez, Gouffran, Armstrong, Perez
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Lindegaard, Jones, McNair, Carrick, Mata, Januzaj, Falcao
Phil Jones has overcome his recent illness in time to feature among the Red Devils' backups, although Luke Shaw fails to make the matchday 18 once more due to injury. There is also a place on the bench for Michael Carrick, who is still lacking match fitness having damaged his calf in January. Juan Mata, a player who very much likes playing against the Magpies, also has to settle for a place among the subs.
There appears to be a nice blend of options to chose from in terms of Newcastle's substitutes, with Ayoze Perez and Adam Armstrong offering an attacking threat, while a player like Vurnon Anita can provide some midfield steel should it be needed as the game wares on. Seventeen-year-old keeper Freddie Woodman is also a part of the 18-man squad this evening.
An impressive record at this famous ground, but it is not enough to get him a place in the starting line up:
Well taking a glance at the Premier League table, you get the impression that Newcastle don't have a great deal to play for at this moment in time. They currently sit 13 points clear of the relegation zone, with four points between them and the top half. Just try telling John Carver, the man tasked with leading the team until the end of the campaign, that the final stretch of the season is merely a formality. He has made no secret that he badly wants this job and, in simple terms, the only way he is going to land it is by impressing during his short time in charge.
Supporters have become more and more frustrated in recent seasons due to the club's poor record in domestic cup competitions, a trait which mired Alan Pardew's time in charge and has little improved under Carver. That means, yet again, all focus is simply on a Premier League campaign which doesn't appear to be heading anywhere. A top-half finish would be nice, of course, but it is not really enough in the eyes of those in the stands.
The Toon's biggest problem has been a lack of consistency in recent months, having failed to win back-to-back games since last November. They have a chance to rectify that this evening after seeing off Aston Villa last time out, and should they finally string a run of victories together maybe, just maybe, a late charge for a European berth could be on the cards. The fixture list is a little difficult over the next month or so, though, with games against Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham alongside meetings with Everton and local rivals Sunderland.
It's still all very much to play for as far as tonight's visitors are concerned. Heading into the last stretch of the season, you get the impression that every last point will count come the final seconds of the final day. United find themselves sitting in fourth place ahead of this evening's fixtures, one point ahead of Southampton who have played one game more, two above Liverpool and six ahead of Spurs. Looking forward, meanwhile, Arsenal are just the single point ahead while Manchester City boast a five-point advantage. Realistically speaking, the Red Devils could finish anywhere between second and seventh at this stage.
Sometimes you have to remind yourself that United are in fact sitting in the lofty heights of third place - a position I'm sure every supporter would have taken pre-season, particularly with an FA Cup quarter-final appearance thrown in for good measure. Two defeats in their last 21 outings means that Van Gaal is very much on track to achieving his goals for the season, although he has come in for some criticism over the past month or so in particular.
It's hard to argue in the Dutchman's favour when he suggests that his side's style of play works because, although he is getting the results, supporters of this famous club expect an entertaining brand of football. In his pre-match press conference yesterday afternoon Van Gaal admitted that he understands supporters' frustrations, which was best summed up when Jonny Evans played the ball back to David de Gea on a couple of occasions against Sunderland rather the pushing forward.
Rather worryingly, the Red Devils have won just three away games all term, which is the joint-worst record of all the sides in the top half of the table. They cannot afford to drop points this evening with a raft of teams closing in, or else the pressure with turn up a notch or two on the Dutchman. Huge fixtures against Spurs, Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea await in their next six games, so should they pick up three more points on Tyneside they can head into those make-or-break encounters high on confidence.
Kickoff is now a little over 15 minutes away at St James' Park:
DID YOU KNOW? Newcastle have scored 69% of all their Premier League goals in the second half of games this season - a league high in this department.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: Manchester United have enjoyed their visits to this part of the world in recent times, tasting defeat in just one of their last 11 trips to St James' Park and winning eight of those games. They have also racked up an aggregate scoreline of 7-0 in their last couple of trips here - a rotten spell that the Magpies simply have to rectify.
In terms of key players this evening, look no further than Wayne Rooney - a player who simply loves playing against Newcastle United. He has bagged 12 goals in this fixture over the years, including a double in the reverse meeting on Boxing Day earlier this season, making the Magpies - alongside Aston Villa - the side the England skipper enjoys featuring against more than any other.
While the visitors can turn to Rooney to provide the magic, Newcastle have a striker who knows how to find the net themselves. Papiss Cisse boasts the best average minute-per-goal ratio in the top flight (only including those who have scored more than four times), with a strike every 84 minutes. Can he extend that ration a little further here tonight?
PREDICTION: This is a fixture which has provided us with a few classics down the years, although I'm expecting a tightly-fought battle decided by a single goal. They may have their critics, but the visitors have made themselves hard to beat over the past few months to keep their season alive on two fronts. That run will continue this evening with a 1-0 victory.
Well the two sets of players are now out onto the field and we are are just seconds away from kickoff. In case you missed the team news a little earlier, both sides have made one change apiece; Fellaini in for Falcao for the visitors, Taylor replaces the injured Haidara for the home side.
KICKOFF! We're underway on Tyneside, and within 30 seconds United have a big early chance. Abeid let United in, although after being played through by Rooney, Di Maria decided against shooting from inside the area with Coloccini getting back well to help clear the danger.
Perhaps a sign of the lack of confidence blighting Di Maria's game at the moment, because any other player would have been putting his foot right through the ball from that range. Nevertheless, Man United still have 88 minutes to push on following that positive start.
Van Gaal was a little cryptic pre-match when asked about his formation this evening, but it looks as though Fellaini is playing off Rooney in an advanced midfield role. Falcao has to settle for a place among the substitutes, and he is fast running out of time to impress.
Newcastle finally manage to get bodies forward following a solid counter-attacking move, which culminates in Sissoko winning his side a corner kick. Taylor took it but Rooney was back to clear away.
A few sloppy moments from Newcastle, with Sissoko in particular guilty of giving the ball away which allows the visitors to keep the pressure on. Van Gaal's men have just about edged things in the opening stages, but that half-chance for Di Maria aside inside 30 seconds there has not been a great deal to shout about.
The Newcastle sloppiness continues as the visiting side get a few bodies into the box. Their latest attack comes to nothing, though, and once more the Magpies are quick to break up the other end. The pattern of this contest has been set.
PENALTY SHOUT! The first contentious moment comes with a little over 10 minutes on the clock, as Riviere goes down under the challenge of Smalling inside the box. Initially I thought the Magpies man had made the most of that, but replays show that Smalling certainly took the player rather than the ball, so Anthony Taylor surely should have been pointing to the spot!
There's been an incredible amount of errors so far from both teams, Rojo the latest to almost find himself caught out, although so far neither side has capitalised. There's a good balance to this game, which can only be a good thing from a neutral perspective.
SHOT! Man United look fluid when they push forward, and they are looking to get shots away at goal as and when they can. Fellaini initially saw his effort from the edge of the box well blocked away, but it came back to Herrera following some good hold-up play by Rooney, with the Spaniard's effort flying narrowly wide.
A nice mark of respect from the Toon Army, which has been the case throughout the season:
Rooney's barren spell in front of goal has been much publicised lately, although he managed to end that run by bagging a brace against Sunderland. He looks lively this evening in a far more advanced position, yet it is worth mentioning that he has scored just one goal in his last 13 away from home.
Things have gone quiet over the past five minutes following a lively opening to the contest. Manchester United have looked the better side in a game of many errors so far, but Newcastle have produced decent moves on the counter-attack which could play a big part as this one pans out.
Di Maria works the ball well for Valencia down the right, and the Ecuadorian stands up a decent cross into a central position which is cleared away in the end. Good understanding between the United widemen.
Another cross into the box - this time it is Di Maria who turns provided for Fellaini, but the Belgian can't quite get on the end of the ball at the back post.
CHANCE! By far the best opening of the game so far falls the way of Wayne Rooney. He has scored 12 goals against the Magpies previously, but his chipped effort over Krul ended wide of the post. Di Maria, much involved in the opening quarter of the contest, was involved again as he played the ball into Young, who in turn found his England international teammate inside the area. Good play which really should have ended with the net rustling.
Newcastle had that strong appeal for a penalty turned down, remember, but that aside it is the Red Devils who have had the better of things and they should probably be ahead. You would have put your house on Rooney converting from a few yards out, although he uncharacteristically failed to keep his cool.
Yet another mistake out on the field, as Coloccini falls over his own feet in a dangerous area. Di Maria was on the ball in a flash and quickly picked out Rooney in the middle of the area, but once more he could not quite get the ball under control and the half-chance went begging.
Prior to this evening Man United had played more passes back to their goalkeeper (442) than any other side in the division. They have looked fluid at times this evening, albeit with no goal to show for their efforts. They will be the happier of the two as we enter the final 10 minutes of the first half.
SHOT! A rare attempt on goal from Newcastle, and it wasn't half a bad attempt by Cisse. Having brought the ball down brilliantly, he took range from distance with a shot which flew a yard or so wide in the end.
Newcastle have struggled to keep hold of the ball throughout this half, but their opponents have not been able to make the most of it. Evans and Cisse have just had a coming together on the field to liven things up a little following a quiet spell on the field.
A dangerous moment from the Magpies as Williamson attacks a header at the back post. There was a mass of bodies looking to get on the end of the ball and in the end it was Rojo who came out on top to head behind for a corner. We haven't seen enough of these attacking spells as far as the hosts are concerned.
Having seen replays of that coming together between Evans and Cisse a few moments ago, both players appeared to spit at each other. It was much ado about nothing at the time, but that is something which will be talked about beyond the end of these 90 minutes.
CHANCES! The game has just burst back into life right at the end of the first half. Krul did well to keep out Fellaini's header at one end while Newcastle broke up the other, not for the first time this evening, and came close through Riviere. The Frenchman was played in behind by Cisse but once through on goal he failed to connect with the ball.
HALF TIME: NEWCASTLE UNITED 0-0 MANCHESTER UNITED
All-square at the break then in a game which has failed to truly take off thus far. Newcastle's best chance came at the end of the half, but Riviere was unable to connect with the ball when in on goal. They also had an early penalty shout turned down, although replays show that referee Anthony Taylor may have got that decision incorrect with Smalling at fault.
That aside the visitors have been the better side, coming closest through Rooney's chipped effort which ended narrowly wide of the post. Herrera and Fellaini also tried their luck to no avail, meaning that we are goalless at the break. The biggest talking point involved that incident between Evans and Cisse, however, who were caught up in spit-gate.
Here is that incident once more, which is dominating all the talk at half time:
So no goals, then, but there has certainly been plenty of talking points - a stonewall penalty turned down an a highly-controversial spitting incident in particular. Just the one shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, though, that coming from Fellaini shortly before the interval.
BENCH WATCH!
NEWCASTLE UNITED SUBS: Woodman, Satka, Anita, Gutierrez, Gouffran, Armstrong, Perez
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Lindegaard, Jones, McNair, Carrick, Mata, Januzaj, Falcao
This is not the only fixture taking place this evening, of course, so let's take a quick look through some of the other half-time scores:
Manchester City 1-0 Leicester City
Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Arsenal
Stoke City 1-0 Everton
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Swansea City
West Ham United 0-1 Chelsea
Liverpool 1-0 Burnley (44 mins played)
So as things stand the Red Devils remain in fourth place, although they are now level on points with Liverpool. Things are so incredibly tight at the moment, so this really is a massive 45 minutes of football ahead for Van Gaal's side.
SECOND-HALF UNDERWAY! I'm sure both managers had a lot to say at the break, because it was by no means a perfect first half from either team. Let's hope we see more than the solitary shot on goal in the next 45 mins.
SHOT! The first shot of the half is fired away by Rojo, and it was about four or five inches away from being a world-class strike. He connected with it brilliantly on the edge of the box, but couldn't get quite enough spin on it.
SAVE! A potentially massive moment in this game, and one which should have saw Newcastle edge ahead. De Gea got down brilliantly to keep out Riviere from close range, but he really should have scored after latching onto Coloccini's header at the back post.
That Rojo shot aside, Newcastle have been asking all the questions in the six minutes following the restart. Riviere and Rooney have had the game's best chances so far in what has been an evenly-balanced game on the face of it.
DOUBLE SAVE! Heroic keeping from Krul, who comes back to haunt his former boss Van Gaal. Fellaini took a ball over the top down brilliantly and got a shot in at goal which the Dutchman pushed away. Young then had a chance to fire home from three yards out but Krul incredibly got back to his feet and raced across goal to deny the United midfielder.
A tale of two world-class goalkeepers in this second half, as Krul goes one better than De Gea's save at the end of Riviere's shot a shot while ago. How is this still goalless?!
DISALLOWED GOAL! Rooney puts the ball into the back of the net with a cool finish, although the linesman's flag was already up for offside. It was a very tough call for the official, which could have gone either way. Rooney appeared to be level having seen the replay.
DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION: Di Maria's lack of confidence has continued tonight, and even though he has been involved in large, he has still not makes the desired impact. He is replaced by Adnan Januzaj. Newcastle also make a change as Perez comes on for Riviere.
YELLOW CARD! Marcos Rojo is the first player to enter the referee's book for his challenge on former Man United man Gabriel Obertan.
Replays showed that Rooney was just about onside when he put the ball into the net a few minutes ago, so the visitors will feel hard done by. That's two calls the officials have now got wrong - Newcastle denied a pen in the first half - but it was a very tough call to make on this occasion.
NEWCASTLE UNITED SUB: A moving and memorable Premier League moment, as Gutierrez replaces Taylor. His cancer battle has been highly-publicised, and how good is it to see him back on a football field. Coloccini raced straight over to offer his teammate the captain's armband.
YELLOW CARD! Newcastle supporters have been somewhat subdued all evening, but they have been massively lifted by the introduction of Jonas. The Argentine has been on the field for just a few minutes but he has also picked up a yellow card for a rash challenge.
CHANCE! How is this still goalless? Herrera was caught pondering on the ball and that allowed Newcastle to spring another counter, which ended with Cisse in on goal at a slightly tight angle. He dragged his shot narrowly wide of goal, with De Gea rooted to his spot.
This game is brilliantly set up heading into the final 20 minutes, and it really could go either way. Man City, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool are all leading in their respective games, so make no mistake about it - this would be two points dropped for the Red Devils.
Just as I was praising how entertaining this game has been in terms of talking points, it all goes a little stale. Not a great deal has happened over the past few minutes, although it is Man United who have seen more of the ball.
SAVE! Another good stop by Krul down low, this time to deny Rooney's back-post header. The United skipper would have done brilliantly to score from there, but he did all he could by getting the attempt on target. Still Falcao watches on from the bench.
Van Gaal's side are just lacking the added quality they need in the final third to break down their opponents. They have created a few chances, two of which have fallen Rooney's way, but you would expect more with the pressure really on now in terms of their top-four hopes. Newcastle have failed to mount an attacking move since that Cisse opening 10 minutes or so ago.
There's some movement on both benches as Van Gaal and Carver look to roll the dice for a final time perhaps. Plenty of options to choose from, with the visitors able to call on Mata and Falcao should they wish.
NEWCASTLE UNITED SUB: Sammy Ameobi, who has barely been involved tonight, makes way for Gouffran.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUB: Fellaini is withdrawn for the visiting side, and he gives a shake of the head as if to suggest 'Why me?'. Mata is on in his place, the man who has scored three goals in his last three appearances at St James' Park.
So six minutes plus added time for Man United to find a way through. They face a tough run of fixtures in the coming weeks, so anything less than three points here on Tyneside will be seen as a big blow in their top-four hopes. Newcastle, on the other hand, will be more than happy with this solid point.
YELLOW CARD! Valencia is cautioned following his challenge on Gouffran. Just a reminder, Van Gaal still has one more substitute to call on should he wish.
We've seen 12 goals elsewhere across in the Premier League this evening, but we are still yet to get off the mark here. The visitors are still the ones looking the more lively, without really causing any real problems. An eighth draw on the road this term awaits.
Carrick is about to come on, which really is a huge blow to the confidence of Falcao. A world-class striker in the past, but he is not seen as good enough to help the Red Devils grab a late goal here this evening.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUB: Carrick does indeed come on, with Rojo going off. Time for a United reshuffle as we enter added on time at the end of the game.
GOAL! NEWCASTLE UNITED 0-1 MANCHESTER UNITED (YOUNG)
What a huge, huge moment in this Premier League season. Newcastle are the victims of their own downfall, and the visitors will never have been so grateful to bag a sloppy goal. Rooney's fine run into the box was well cut out initially by Gouffran, but the ball was played back to Krul who could only scuff the ball into the path of Young six yards from goal. He fired into an empty net for his first goal in 14 months.
SAVE! Cisse almost levels things up in added time for Newcastle with his header from six yards out, but De Gea was once more equal to it to save his side. Not the first time we have used those words this season.
The travelling supporters are the ones making all the noise at the moment as you would expect. They have just one more minute to hold out before laying claim to a massive three points.
Abeid shoots wide from the edge of the box with what could be the last opportunity of the game as far as the Magpies are concerned.
FULL TIME: NEWCASTLE UNITED 0-1 MANCHESTER UNITED
Indeed that did prove to be the home side's last opening as referee Anthony Taylor blows for full time on a night of high drama. We had plenty of talking points and near misses but it took until the final minute of the game before we saw the only goal. Ashley Young bagged it from close range following a horrible mix-up at the back from the Magpies.
Well that's all from me for the time being, but be sure to stick around as we bring you a full match report, player ratings and analysis of all the action from St James' Park.
