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 remain very much alive.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how both sets of players performed across the 90 minutes of action.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Goal

Tim Krul: Produced a moment of magic to deny both Fellaini and Young in the space of a few seconds. All his hard work was soon undone by a horrible scuffed clearance which led to Young's goal, although he will argue the blame lies with Abeid who should have cleared. He has now made three mistakes leading directly to a goal in the Premier League this term. (5/10)

Defence

Daryl Janmaat: Received huge praise indeed from his manager in the week, and while he looked solid enough defensively here tonight, he did not offer enough going forward. (6/10)

Mike Williamson: Not a great showing overall. Had to be bailed out by his keeper on a few occasions but in the end even Krul was susceptible to the pressure. (5/10)

Fabricio Coloccini: Likewise, the centre-back was caught out on a couple of occasions, perhaps more so because he was covering for his partner. Handed over his captain's armband to the returning Gutierrez which was a lovely touch. (6/10)

Ryan Taylor: A glorious sight indeed for the Toon Army faithful as Taylor lasted more than an hour before leaving the field. He did well as an auxiliary left-back, too, deputising for the injured Massadio Haidara and creating one or two openings. (7/10)

Midfield

Gabriel Obertan: Poor performance from a man who was looking to make an impression against his former club. Offered next to nothing in both an attacking and defensive sense before being withdrawn. (4/10)

Mehdi Abeid: A terrible showing which was capped by that late calamity when he opted to pass the ball back to his goalkeeper instead of clearing. Needs to offer far more to warrant a starting place. (4/10)

Moussa Sissoko: Such an important player for United due to his ability to carry the ball forward. That was even more important this evening as Carver's men relied on numerous breaking opportunities, but it just did not come off for him in terms of an end product. (6/10)

Sammy Ameobi: Hard to see what he offers the Magpies, with the biggest surprise being the fact that it took until nine minutes before time before he was hauled off. (5/10)

Attack

Papiss Cisse: He boasted the best goals-per-minute ratio in the division prior to this evening, highlighting his ability to find the net no matter who the opponent. He came close at the death only to be denied by a decent De Gea save. His controversial spitting incident is what will make the headlines, though. (6/10)

Emmanuel Riviere: Certainly Newcastle's liveliest player during his time on the field. He should have been awarded a pen with a little over 10 minutes played, while he will rue not connecting with the ball when played through later in the game. He may have missed chances, but he certainly offered a lot more than three quarters of his teammates. (7/10)

Substitutes

Yoan Gouffran: Given an eight-minute cameo appearance at the end, in which time he did little to win over his manager. (5/10)

Ayoze Perez: Came off the bench for the 10th time this season, and showed a glimmer of why he should perhaps be starting games rather than watching on from the bench. (7/10)

Jonas Gutierrez: A welcome return after 18 months away battling cancer. He was given a fantastic ovation as he entered the field, receiving the captain's armband off Coloccini and later describing the moment as one he will remember for the rest of his life. Just a shame referee Anthony Taylor decided to book him two minutes after coming on! (10/10)

MANCHESTER UNITED

Goal

David de Gea: Not for the first time this season, he was United's man of the match. Had just two saves to make but they were both hugely important to deny Reviere and Cisse. Almost took command of his box throughout the encounter. (8/10)

Defence

Antonio Valencia: He looks more settled in this unorthodox full-back position, linking up well with Di Maria in the first half to provide a few decent crosses into the box. (7/10)

Chris Smalling: Lucky not to give away a penalty in the first half and in truth he did not look truly settled throughout. A clean sheet is all that counts, however, and he can be pleased with his side's strong defensive record. (6/10)

Jonny Evans: His evening will only be remembered for the spitting incident which took place in the first half. Both managers say they did not see anything, but replays make it clear that both he and Cisse may face retrospective action from the Football Association. (6/10)

Marcos Rojo: His performance may have gone under the radar, yet this was a really assured showing from the versatile defender. Came so close to opening the scoring with a long-range strike, while he also got forward as often as possible. (7/10)

Midfield

Ander Herrera: Finally being given a run of games by Van Gaal, and although he hardly set the world alight he still produced a solid enough display in midfield. That said, he was caught out late on with the game still goalless which could have proved costly. (6/10)

Daley Blind: One statistic in particular sums up the midfielder's game: his 33 interceptions since the turn of the year is the most in the Premier League. Knows his role in the side and sticks to it. (7/10)

Angel di Maria: At times in the first half he appeared to be the Red Devils' key player as he stuck out wide and helped link play, picking out Rooney a few times inside the area. Clearly lacking confidence, though, as can be seen by his pass completion rate of just 64%. Withdrawn to cap another frustrating night. (6/10)

Ashley Young: He squandered a huge chance shortly before the hour when he failed to get the better of Krul from close range, but he soon made amends. Bagged his first goal in 400 days to secure three vital points for United. (7/10)

Attack

Wayne Rooney: Uncharacteristically put wide when played through on goal in the first half, chipping the ball over Krul and missing the target. Found the net later in the game only to wrongly be adjudged to have been offside. Failed to add to his previous tally of 12 goals against the Toon, while he has now scored just one goal in 14 Premier League away games. (7/10)

Marouane Fellaini: Favoured over Falcao, who failed to get off the bench even with his side desperate for a goal. The Belgian international was heavily involved in most United attacks, but it clearly was not working for him and he probably should have been withdrawn sooner. (6/10)

Substitutes

Juan Mata: He has bagged three in three at St James' Park in the past, but that was not enough to warrant a starting spot. You have got to wonder if his future lies at Old Trafford beyond the summer months following another appearance from the bench. (6/10)

Adnan Januzaj: Looked promising enough when he came on for the final 30 minutes which may have given LVG some food for thought ahead of the FA Cup tie against Arsenal next week. (7/10)

Michael Carrick: Introduced for the final few minutes as Van Gaal shuffled things around. He has been missing for a while due to a calf injury, so his return is a huge boost for the Red Devils. (5/10)