The two Uniteds shared six goals on a glorious evening that began with a poignant tribute to the late Pavel Srníček and ended in rollercoaster drama.
FULL TIME: Newcastle United 3-3 Manchester United.
And that’s that. Boring, boring Louis van Gaal, huh. What a game of football. A couple of gorgeous team goals, a couple of old-school blooters, a couple of controversial penalty decisions, a couple of clear-cut chances missed at both ends. A draw’s probably a fair result on a memorable evening at St James Park. Wonderful entertainment, a game of glorious imperfection. And it’d be nice to think that, on the day he was remembered, Pavel Srníček was hanging around on a star somewhere, watching all the fun unfold.
90 min +3: Darmian and Toney tussle on the edge of the Newcastle box. The pair go down. The home crowd scream for a penalty kick, but that’s not going to be given.
90 min +2: Perez is replaced by De Jong, whose first act is to clank a clearing header upfield, Manchester United having swung a free kick into the area from the left.
90 min +1: There will be four added minutes. If only there could be an extra 44.
GOAL! Newcastle United 3-3 Manchester United (Dummett 90)
The ball’s slung into the Manchester United area down the right. Smalling, at the far post, heads clear. The ball falls to Dummett, to the left of the D. The left-back blooters a rising effort towards the top left. The ball spins off Smalling, who is trying to close the shot down, and arrows into the corner. What a game this has been!
89 min: Toney is dispossessed by Martial, 25 yards from his own goal. Martial makes for the area, then slides Rooney in on the left. He should get a hat-trick shot away, but overruns the pass and the ball goes out of play. What a mistake, because ...
87 min: Now Rooney does his bit in the centre of the park, breaking up play and eventually drawing a foul from Coloccini. The clock is not Newcastle’s friend. With this very much in mind, Rooney stays on the turf awhile with his face pressed into the grass.
85 min: Tiote is replaced by Toney. Here’s Jurjen Boorsma, a long time AZ Alkmaar supporter: “In 07/08 with AZ, Van Gaal didn’t win 16 matches in a row, just evaded relegation. In 08/09 AZ lost only the first two matches and became Dutch champion. Mancunians, be patient, trust Louis!”
84 min: Well, this should be all over. Memphis, who has been lively since coming on, zips down the left and whips a medium-height cross into the Newcastle box. The home side are light at the back, and Fellaini is coming in to meet the centre with his head. But he blasts his header straight at Elliot when he surely had to put the result beyond doubt.
90 min +3: Darmian and Toney tussle on the edge of the Newcastle box. The pair go down. The home crowd scream for a penalty kick, but that’s not going to be given.
90 min +2: Perez is replaced by De Jong, whose first act is to clank a clearing header upfield, Manchester United having swung a free kick into the area from the left.
90 min +1: There will be four added minutes. If only there could be an extra 44.
GOAL! Newcastle United 3-3 Manchester United (Dummett 90)
The ball’s slung into the Manchester United area down the right. Smalling, at the far post, heads clear. The ball falls to Dummett, to the left of the D. The left-back blooters a rising effort towards the top left. The ball spins off Smalling, who is trying to close the shot down, and arrows into the corner. What a game this has been!
89 min: Toney is dispossessed by Martial, 25 yards from his own goal. Martial makes for the area, then slides Rooney in on the left. He should get a hat-trick shot away, but overruns the pass and the ball goes out of play. What a mistake, because ...
87 min: Now Rooney does his bit in the centre of the park, breaking up play and eventually drawing a foul from Coloccini. The clock is not Newcastle’s friend. With this very much in mind, Rooney stays on the turf awhile with his face pressed into the grass.
85 min: Tiote is replaced by Toney. Here’s Jurjen Boorsma, a long time AZ Alkmaar supporter: “In 07/08 with AZ, Van Gaal didn’t win 16 matches in a row, just evaded relegation. In 08/09 AZ lost only the first two matches and became Dutch champion. Mancunians, be patient, trust Louis!”
84 min: Well, this should be all over. Memphis, who has been lively since coming on, zips down the left and whips a medium-height cross into the Newcastle box. The home side are light at the back, and Fellaini is coming in to meet the centre with his head. But he blasts his header straight at Elliot when he surely had to put the result beyond doubt.
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