Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle United: 5 talking points

A resolute Newcastle defence snuffed out every threat that Manchester United had to offer and came mighty close to stealing it all on a couple of occasions. The battle of two Uniteds ended in a draw at Old Trafford in the Premier League’s early kick-off on Saturday.Seven points and a third consecutive clean sheet for Louis van Gaal  and the Red Devils would really be considered a good return after three rounds of games in the Premier League. However, today’s goalless draw against Newcastle would leave the Dutchman and the Manchester United faithful with the feeling of an empty harvest.While, Manchester Untied enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession in both halves, Newcastle stuck to their task and eked out a vital point. Newcastle embodied the “immovable object” adjective to the core and were good value for their point themselves. A few inches either side and they themselves would have romped back to Tyneside with all three points in the bag.Aleksander Mitrovic produced, probably the best moment of the game as he met Chancel Mbemba’s cross with nearly the utmost of precisions, rattling the home team’s woodwork at the half and hour mark.Let’s analyse the five biggest talking points from this feisty encounter at Manchester today.  

#1 The Rooney drought continues

10 games (858 minutes) without a goal. Not a line you associate with Wayne Rooney but, that how it’s been going for the Manchester United talisman of late. Rooney was again played upfront today, but yet again failed to find the back of the net.

Except for an early chance, which was ruled offside, the England international really didn’t looking like the imposing threat he has looked in his previous years. It was a matter of inches and the decision could have gone either way. He is clearly making the runs and doing the hard work, but he needs either a) better service from the players around him or b) another frontman to play off. 

With the departure of both Falcao and Robin van Persie, Manchester United have appeared to look a bit thin up front in their first few games this season. This was even more emphasised in today’s encounter. The England international no longer possesses that tremendous burst of speed and was sub-par with some of his hold up play and touches. They neither quite seemed to have a focal point in their attack, nor were quick or methodical enough in the passing and movement to create hullabaloo inside Newcastle’s penalty area.

Chicharito was again his “even moving” present in the final moments of the game, but not enough to make the absence of a classical centre-forward go unnoticed.