Manchester United 3-1 Newcastle United: 5 talking points as Red Devils breeze past Steve Bruce's men | Premier League 2020-21
Manchester United rounded off a complete performance to claim a 3-1 win over Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Sunday. The win takes them back to second place in the Premier League table.
Goals from Marcus Rashford, Daniel James and Bruno Fernandes helped the cause, as the Red Devils returned to winning ways after consecutive league draws.
Allan Saint-Maximin levelled the scoring for the Toons, who have now lost three of their last four matches and are only three points ahead of 18th-placed Fulham.
On that note, here are the major talking points from Manchester United's convincing 3-1 win against Newcastle United.
#1 Sloppy Manchester United escape early Toons scare
Like many top teams that have taken their time to get into their stride early, Manchester United awarded Newcastle United acres of space to attack and exploit them.
A short corner routine orchestrated by the Magpies caught the hosts napping, and Joelinton volleyed a fine effort to test the palms of David de Gea. Manchester United had plenty of possession but were forced to play sidewards, much to their disarray.
De Gea, who made a smart save early on, was guilty of surrendering the ball to Joelinton again a few minutes later. The striker laid it on for Jonjo Shelvey, who skewed his shot high and wide.
The long balls, coupled with a variety of set-piece patterns, caused Manchester United a whole lot of problems.
#2 Sizzling solo effort from Rashford powers Manchester United ahead
Although Newcastle United got their angles right while defending off the ball, their opponents knocked at their door many times through different passages of play.
Bruno Fernandes, in particular, was at the thick of the action from the centre, as he broke into little pockets of space in midfield and applied his quick thinking to bring the forwards into play.
However, it wasn't to happen for Manchester United due to Newcastle United's outstanding positioning and overall shape maintained.
Enter Marcus Rashford. The winger received a pass on the wide left, wriggled through the visitors' backline and kept his composure to slot past Karl Darlow's near post.