Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney proves double trouble for Newcastle
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Version 0 of 1. Slowly but surely, the new-look Manchester United are beginning to click. There are still imperfections and Louis van Gaal was exaggerating a touch when he said they had dominated the entire match but at least they have rediscovered a winning habit and their old commitment to attacking, incisive football. They are playing with a new measure of confidence when they go forward and, after the stodginess of the David Moyes era, that at least is a start. The gulf to the top two is considerable but the personnel are still formidable when Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata can be found lurking behind Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao. Rooney scored twice, with a couple of Paul Scholes-like runs into the penalty area, as well as creating the headed third for Van Persie with a beautifully measured 40-yard ball towards the far post. Falcao, looking fitter than for some time, brilliantly laid on the first goal and his part in the second should not be overlooked either, sliding in to win the tackle that initiated the attack from which Mata played the pass and Rooney supplied the finish. Mata was also involved in the slick exchange that took the home side from one end of the pitch to the other to open the scoring and when this quartet are hitting these notes it can make up for the deficiencies elsewhere in the team. The win still came attached with a slice of controversy and Mata will certainly be relieved that the referee, Mike Jones, gave him the benefit of the doubt after that early moment when he chased Yoan Gouffran back into the penalty area and clipped his opponent’s heels. Accidental or not, he had brought down his man and a penalty for Newcastle at that stage would have given the game a much different slant. Rooney’s first goal arrived nine minutes later and, in between, there was the latest addition to David de Gea’s portfolio of outstanding saves, turning away a long-range effort from Daryl Janmaat that was soaring towards the top corner. For all the acclaim that will settle on Van Gaal’s front players, those moments were crucial. Newcastle had begun as though encouraged by what happened last season when they won here for the first time since February 1972, and eager to shake the home defeat to Sunderland out of their system. Alan Pardew had experimented with a new wing-back formation, designed to go like-for-like with the home side, and there were brief flashes to demonstrate why Adam Armstrong, their 17-year-old striker, has been creating such a buzz in the North-east. Armstrong had been chosen ahead of Papiss Cissé and was lively, if isolated, as the most advanced player in a team who probably should have been more emboldened to find the flaws in the opposition defence. Had they done so, they might have discovered more of the vulnerabilities that led to Phil Jones flicking out his left leg at Jack Colback to concede a needless penalty three minutes from the end. Pardew, reflecting on the earlier penalty claim, questioned mischievously whether the referee had given it “out of guilt”. Instead, it was Van Gaal’s team, now with 22 points out of a possible 24, who attacked with a real goal threat. Falcao had one of his more productive days and it was clear why Van Gaal removed Michael Carrick just after the hour, with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur to follow on Sunday. Carrick’s return from injury has been instrumental to the team’s recovery and the news before kick-off that Ángel di María has broken down with a pelvic problem was another reminder about the club’s run on that front. To date, there have been 49 reported injuries afflicting Van Gaal’s squad, involving 24 first-team players. “A little bit amazing,” the manager said. Cissé had replaced Armstrong midway through the second half and expertly tucked away Newcastle’s penalty but by that stage the game was meandering towards its close and Van Gaal’s calculated gamble to restore Paddy McNair to his three-man defence – the 19-year-old’s first start since being substituted before half-time at Southampton – was ultimately a wise one. Rooney had started the move for the first goal inside his own half, after Armstrong’s shot had come back off Carrick, and continued his run all the way into the penalty area. Falcao was almost at full length when he reached Mata’s cross but had the presence of mind to hook the ball across the six-yard box to pick out his team-mate. Rooney, from that position, would have been discourteous not to score. Rooney has a long history of scoring against Newcastle and his second was another smart finish, this time traced back to Gouffran’s poor ball to Ayoze Pérez in a position that immediately left the visitors looking vulnerable. Pérez was surrounded and what happened next epitomised the return to old values at Old Trafford. When a player of Falcao’s gifts is diving into tackles and coming out with the ball it feels like a sure sign that a team of fallen champions are back on an upward trajectory. Man of the match Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) Manchester Utd 3-1-4-2 De Gea; Jones, McNair, Evans; Carrick (Fletcher, 62); Valencia (Da Silva, 80), Mata, Rooney, Young; Falcao (Wilson, 65), Van Persie. Booked Van Persie Subs not used Lindegaard, Smalling, Blackett, Pereira. Newcastle United 3-5-2 Alnwick; S Taylor, Coloccini, Dummett (Cabella, 63); Janmaat, Colback, Anita, Sissoko, Gouffran; Pérez (Vuckic, 82), Armstrong (Cissé, 63). Booked S Taylor, Gouffran Subs not used Woodman, Williamson, Rivière, Satka. Referee M Jones |