NEWCASTLE UNITED 3, MANCHESTER UNITED 3
Wayne Rooney scores questionable penalty and Jesse Lingard makes it 2-0
Georginio Wijnaldum reduces deficit before half time and Aleksandar Mitrovic levels it with a penalty in the second half
Rooney puts United back into the lead with 11 minutes to go and Marouane Fellaini’s late header saved
Paul Dummett levels it again in the last minute
Louis Van Gaal may have been angry tonight but he couldn’t call his team ‘boring’ after the entertainment on show at St James’ Park as Manchester United scored three times yet couldn’t beat Newcastle United and fell to sixth in the Premier League.
Both teams had come into this game with an unenviable recent records. Newcastle hadn’t scored since before Christmas while United were reflecting on a run of just five wins in their last 17 games with criticism for their recent style of play coming from Paul Scholes.
The Reds may have struggled to score in the first half at Old Trafford lately but there were no such problems for the side at St James’ Park after just nine minutes in a game which was packed with action, talking points and penalty calls.
Ashley Young had already sent in a couple of enticing crosses before the Reds got a golden chance to open the scoring following a debatable penalty call.
The luckless Chancel Mbemba was adjudged to have handled the ball after Marouane Fellaini’s header struck the Newcastle man at close range.
Wayne Rooney stepped up and fired home his 10th goal of the season against the Magpies to Rob Elliot’s left.
United didn’t sit back on their laurels either and posed problems to the Newcastle defence with more forward passes although Fellaini was bizarrely booked when his shot struck Paul Dummett.
Rooney could have doubled the lead soon after going past Daryl Janmaat but could only hit the chance wide.
David De Gea denied Georginio Wijnaldum after Ayoze Perez had put the Dutchman through on goal.
The Magpies had to attack and Daryl Janmaat drove into the United box and seemed to be brought down by Jesse Lingard but the Reds wide-man was let off after he seemed to get a touch on the ball.
The home side were still fuming over what they claimed was a good penalty call turned down, especially after the decision that led to Rooney’s opening goal, when the Reds went 2-0 up after 38 minutes.
Ander Herrera passed to Rooney who held the ball up, waited for Lingard to overlap, and then released the wingman who put away only his second Reds goal under Eliot.
Newcastle were not taking defeat lying down, though, and belied their own recent form in front of goal – with none scored in over 7 hours since scoring at Old Trafford on Boxing Day – to play a full part in this game.
Fabricio Coloccini hit shot wide before Aleksandar Mitrovic outjumped Fellaini and laid the loose ball on to Wijnaldum whose right footed shot beat De Gea in the 42nd minute with Chris Smalling out of position.
The entertainment didn’t end in the second half as both sides pressed for the advantage.
Moussa Sissoko’s shot was saved by De Gea six minutes after the break after he beat Young.
United failed to restore their 2 goal lead when Lingard blazed a golden opportunity over after Anthony Martial’s pass was moved on to him by Ander Herrera – the miss was so glaring that even van Gaal roared his disapproval from the dugout.
The Magpies gambled on all out attack and had another penalty shout when Jack Colback went down in the area under pressure from Fellaini but it wasn’t given.
With so much action in the game, it was inevitable that something was going to give and it was United who conceded a penalty to give the home side hope.
Chris Smalling was booked for bringing down Mitrovic in the area after 67 minutes when the Serbian had almost got away from him.
Mitrovic got up and blasted the equaliser past De Gea in front of an adoring Gallowgate End.
With United’s defence still picking themselves up, Wijnaldum thought he had put Newcastle into the lead but his fine finish was ruled offside.
Neither side were willing to accept a draw, and United went two up front with Mata down the right, Memphis Depay down the left with Martial joining Rooney up front.
And it was the captain who snapped up a Memphis Depay’s deflected cross to sidefoot the Reds back into the lead with 11 minutes to go.
It was Rooney’s 11th goal of the season and a record 14th goal against the Magpies.
Eliot kept the Newcastle in it when he clawed away Fellaini’s header after Depay’s cross and it proved a vital save as the Magpies put away a last minute equaliser.
Sissoko’s cross fell to Paul Dummett and the full back opened his account for the season with a shot that went into the roof of the net with a deflection off Smalling.