Man United's Summer Spending Spree.

Manchester United's summer transfer dealings.

United didn't end up signing Uncle Tom Cobley but if the media had had anything to do with it, they would have along with all of his family.

It was a summer that started so hot for the reds with the transfer window kicking off with a flurry of scorching hot new arrivals at Old Trafford followed by a midsummer of lukewarm speculation and ending with a little sizzle.

In total Louis van Gaal and Ed Woodward signed six new players that they hope will take the team forward and to balance the books released a number of other players either on loan or moved on to pastures new.

The first in the door at Old Trafford was the exciting young Dutch player Memphis Depay. So hot was he that even Louis van Gaal admitted that he approved the transfer of the PSV winger before the transfer window opened because of strong interest from sides like PSG.

Once the sale of the hugely ineffective Angel Di Maria to PSG had been finalised Memphis took over the iconic number 7 shirt worn with pride by such legends as Best, Robson, Cantona, Beckham and erm Owen! If the flying Dutchman reproduces the form he had shown at PSV then the United fans are in for something special.

Next to arrive was a player not widely known in England, but Italian right-back Matteo Darmian was certainly popular in Italy having played for Torino in 146 appearances and represented his home country at the last World Cup in Brazil.

A strong full-back with the ability to play across the back line and renowned for his attacking qualities, his signing was somewhat out of the blue, however if his performances at the start of the season are anything to go by then this could end up being van Gaal's best piece of business.

Darmian's arrival meant that fans' favourite Rafael was surplus to requirements and was sold to French outfit Lyon. Rafael will be missed as he was a player who was loved by the faithful for his no-nonsense displays and his scuffles with Liverpool.

This was followed by a double shot in the arm for United as both Morgan Schneiderlin and the German play maker Bastian Schweinsteiger joined United on the same day to boost the midfield.

Schneiderlin was bought from Southampton where he had been a loyal servant to the Saints since 2008 helping them return to the Premier League from league 1 via the championship.

A midfielder who goes about his job efficiently and will provide the much-needed bite to the middle of the park that has been lacking. Schneiderlin even managed to score a goal on his debut for United on the tour of the USA.

Bastian Schweinsteiger arrived at United from Bayern Munich to renew his partnership with van Gaal from their time together at the Bavarian club. This had to be the highest-profile signing of the summer for the Red Devils and one that had the fans licking their lips in anticipation of what the World Cup and Champions League winner would bring to the club.

Even though he is in his early thirties, his experience will be invaluable and together with Michael Carrick they have already started the season by interchanging with each other to ensure that the midfield has at least one of them to count on.

Probably not yet fully match fit Schweinsteiger will only improve as the season goes on. Something else that the German will undoubtedly bring to the team is a level head for when the youngsters are losing theirs similar to a certain Cantona back in the nineties.

United fans had to wait a further two weeks until news of yet a new arrival, but in that time every player who could kick, head and catch a ball were inevitably linked to the team these included such names as Lloris, Kane, Zlatan, Bale, Ronaldo, Hummels, Gaitan, Pedro, Otamendi, Cavani, Pele, Best, Law and Charlton ..you get the idea. But it was a goalkeeper who would be the next to sign on the dotted line.

With speculation building about the departure of David De Gea to Real Madrid and the fallout between Victor Valdes and the manager it wasn't really a surprise to see Sergio Romero given his chance at becoming United's new number one as he was another player to have worked with van Gaal during their time at AZ in Holland.

The Argentinian keeper came from Sampdoria with an impressive international CV after being the first choice goalkeeper for his national squad at the 2014 World Cup, where Argentina reached the final after Romero's heroics in the semi's only to lose out to Germany.

As van Gaal wasn't willing to choose De Gea, because his head wasn't on straight with all the gossip, Romero seized his chance with literally both hands and has started all of United's fixtures this season, keeping four clean sheets along the way. The only slip up so far was against Swansea where he was responsible for allowing a shot at his near post to creep inside.

With the window now closed it turns out that with the collapse of De Gea's deal to Madrid and Valdes not being able to find a new club the team now has a trio of world class keepers who will all be vying to be the first choice between the sticks.

One keeper who will not be around is Anders Lindegaard who has joined West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer. Jonny Evans also joined the United exodus to WBA following in the footsteps of Darren Fletcher who moved there last January.

The transfer rumours continued right up until the final day with news circling that at least three more big-name players would be added to the squad, but it turned out to be only one and that was another surprise in the form of 19-year-old French striker from Monaco Anthony Martial, who at £36m has become the most expensive teenager in football.

The French starlet has made 70 appearances for AS Monaco since 2013 and has scored 15 goals. The forward has represented his country from Under-16 level right through to Under-21's and was called up to the French senior squad for the first time in August by Didier Deschamps, who is obviously impressed with the youngster.

United wasted no time in announcing that Martial would take over the number 9 shirt that was vacated by the departure of Radamel Falcao who ended his loan spell at United and ended up moving south to Chelsea.

There were other forwards who left Old Trafford, including Javier Hernandez, who signed for Bayer Leverkusen, Nani joined Turkish outfit Fenerbahce but it was the sale of Robin van Persie that perplexed some fans. The Dutch striker was offloaded apparently after falling out with his compatriot van Gaal for a fee that was far too cheap for a player of his qualities.

This has left United light on forwards and with the side competing on four fronts this season it will become an issue if injuries are sustained to Rooney, Martial or James Wilson. Van Gaal has gone on record saying that he will utilise Fellaini in attack as a number 9 or 10, however, that is not the answer and one more signing of a striker would have eased the worry. The same could be said about the defence where an experienced center back was sorely needed even with the imminent return of Marcos Rojo.

The exit door also saw loan deals for two promising first team youngsters Adnan Januzaj and Tyler Blackett. Januzaj has a great chance to develop at Borussia Dortmund and a year at Celtic will do Blackett the world of good.

There you have it, another end to an interesting transfer window with some surprise buys and United having been linked to literally hundreds of players. For those of you who enjoy the gossip, rumours and speculation don't worry It will all happen again next January, but for now it's time to settle down and enjoy the football.

Thanks as always for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Manchester United Season Review 2014-15

Well, he did it the Dutch maestro delivered on his promise of a top four finish.

In his first press conference as the new manager of United Louis van Gaal arrived straight from the World Cup and promised that his target was to guide the team into a Champions League qualifying place.

The season was an improvement on the previous one which wasn't exactly difficult, but to be honest it has been a season of ups and downs that left us sweating on that top four finish.

Of course, there were times when the team excelled by beating rivals that had embarrassed us last year. The outstanding results included beating Arsenal away the home victories over Man City and Spurs and the display at Stamford Bridge even though it ended in defeat, but the highlight had to be doing the double over Liverpool.

In the middle of the season, there was a run of eleven games undefeated in league and cup which showed signs of a move in the right direction.

These positives were tempered by the woeful displays against supposedly weaker teams. Defeat at home to Swansea, West Brom and Southampton add to those the poor away performances at Leicester, Swansea and especially Everton, which had to go down as our worst away match of the season. These games seriously dented our ambitions of ending higher than fourth.

It looked like United would go on a good run in the FA Cup, their only real chance of silverware, but that was halted by old boy Danny Welbeck in the quarter-final at Old Trafford. It pained me to see him score the winner as I wholeheartedly agreed with the manager that he was not good enough for his team and apart from that goal the manager was proved to be correct.

David de Gea performed heroics between the sticks for United as on countless occasions he somehow managed to get a fingertip, a toe, a leg in fact almost every part of his body to the ball to rescue valuable points for the team.

His stand out match among many had to be the victory over Everton at Old Trafford in which not only did he become the first keeper to save a Leighton Baines penalty in the league but his last minute save at full stretch to deny a certain goal was truly world class.

The latter part of the season was marred by the continued speculation that Real Madrid, as they do every season, wanted the Spaniard to return to his hometown to be their number one. United have offered De Gea a substantial pay increase to try and lure him to stay so the ball is firmly in his court. I hope his head is not swayed and with the uncertainty of who will manage the Madrid side he could decide to stay at a club where he is loved by the fans.

The fact that De Gea was chosen as the player of the year for the second season running tells you how terrible our defence was for most of the season. Due to a combination of injuries and poor performances the team never really had a stable look about them.

The player worst hit by injury had to be Luke Shaw who had a wretched time in his debut season. In the beginning, he was deemed to not be match fit by van Gaal and had to wait for his chance.

However, when he was fit he proved exactly what a talent he is with some outstanding link up play with Ashley Young on the left wing.

Another of the new signings blighted by time on the treatment table was Marcos Rojo but like Shaw became a crowd favourite with his all-out style of play.

Through necessity rather than choice, we saw the introductions of a couple of reserve talents in defence Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair. To their credit, they can hold their heads up high within the team but without an experienced player to guide them they seemed to lose a little confidence towards the end of the season.

At the start of the season Louis van Gaal experimented with three centre-backs usually a combination of Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones but they were like the teams very own 'Bermuda Triangle' as strange events would take place when they were together.

Evans seems to have blown his chance under van Gaal and could depart for pastures new, Jones is still battling with confidence and decision making in his game.

To be fair to Smalling he pulled his game together and scored some important goals and when he was made captain for the Arsenal match that was a great endorsement from the manager following his contract extension.

In that system, Ashley Young was used as a wing back which totally limited his potential to create any forward momentum that resulted in a lack of assists. The same could be said of Antonio Valencia who filled in at right back all season, not his favoured spot.

The side looked distinctly more comfortable and balanced once the system had reverted to the more traditional flat four at the back and gave players like Young the licence to attack the wings which provided the much-needed outlet of goals that had been lacking.

The team is crying out for new blood at the back with experienced players to help guide the youngsters and provide that all important defensive partnership that United have been used to in the past. Many have been linked including Alves, Otamendi and Hummels so it will be interesting to see who comes.

Ander Herrera and Juan Mata were both a breath of fresh air in the middle, but it took the manager a while to blend them into his system but when they did great things happened.

Herrera's brace against Aston Villa and Mata's double at Anfield, his second winning him the goal of the season, were the icing on the cake for both of the Spanish amigos.

Their guile and skill combined with an eye for the killer pass should benefit the team more next season with the right forwards to get on the end of their creativity.

Michael Carrick started the season late and ended it early due to injuries, but when he did play the team looked more stable. At his age, he will not play a whole season which is all the more reason to buy a midfielder who can help him carry the workload.

It was a positive debut season for Daley Blind who was asked on many occasions to play in different positions including right-back, central defence and holding midfield. In fact, I was waiting for him to play in goal in the last match of the season.

He is a good utility player but the energy and work rate he put in over the season began to show in his legs towards the end.

Now, what about the bushy haired Belgian who had endured a horrible time under Moyes at United last season, what a transformation Fellaini was this term. He was a totally different player, a player who was used intelligently by the manager which paid off big time in some important games.

Used for his height he became unmarkable in attack but that wasn't the whole story he actually showed that he can play football and scored some crucial goals. A player who seemed to enjoy his game after the ridicule of last year. I'm turning a blind eye to his GBH attack on Paul McShane and subsequent red card.

After a bright start to his Old Trafford career record signing, Angel Di Maria became the enigma in the side. His poor season has produced a huge debate to exactly what went wrong. Was it an early season injury, loss of confidence or the manager not being able to find his best position?

Maybe it was all of them but it will be interesting to see how van Gaal manages the situation. I think it was a case of the right player at the wrong time as he was not suited to United's transitional period hopefully he will get a second season to repay the money spent.

Newly appointed captain Wayne Rooney flourished after his move back to his favoured position as the main striker after being wasted in midfield earlier on in the season. Once he returned there the goals quickly came with the two best being the winner away at Arsenal and the volley on the turn at home to Villa.

Robin van Persie has had a season to forget and found it hard to get into his normally lethal stride not helped with time spent on the sidelines.

I believe that like Blind his fitness was affected by the long run in the World Cup. I admire van Persie as a player and will be forever grateful for what he achieved in his debut season but with his age and injury concerns maybe it's time for a new younger version to spearhead the attack.

Lastly, is the Colombian Radamel Falcao. I for one had high expectations when he came last summer perhaps like everybody too high. He came to United on the back of a lengthy knee injury that in hindsight proved to be his downfall.

Undoubtedly talented and charismatic he seemed a perfect fit for the reds but sometimes who have to bite the bullet, shake hands and say thanks but no thanks. Exactly what the manager has done.

Fringe players like Januzaj, Wilson and Pereira still need time to develop at United so maybe going out on loan for a season will give them a confidence boost and important game time. It didn't do any harm to the likes of David Beckham in the past.

The manager and his assistant Ryan Giggs seem to have gelled over the season if the head slaps dished out by van Gaal are anything to go by.

Louis van Gaal has built up a rapport and respect from the fans after his no-nonsense press conferences along with the willingness to change his system when there were clear indications it wasn't working.

His end of season speech at the Player of the Season awards also showed his lighter, less stern side.

My opinion is that the season, on the whole, can be qualified as a success. As with everything time is a great healer and van Gaal seems more than capable of taking the team further.

I feel that with new additions to the team we can compete next season with a squad that has cover in all positions both at home and in Europe. I'm excited about the possibilities after van Gaal's bedding in season has come to an end.

Enjoy the summer break and thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

United soar over the Eagles.

Crystal Palace 1 Manchester United 2

United flew away from the capital on a high as they won a hard fought match over a plucky Crystal Palace.

On the back of three successive defeats and with only three matches to play it was imperative that there were no more slip ups.

United fans received a boost after a difficult three weeks with the news that Memphis Depay will be joining the Red Devils from PSV. Louis van Gaal admitted that he had to act quickly to ward off the attentions of PSG.

This is a great signing as Depay is only 21 and ended a fabulous season in Holland by winning a league winners medal and showing his worth by scoring 21 goals in the process. A talent that will surely blossom under van Gaal next season.

The signing does raise a few questions about a few current players especially Adnan Januzaj. The young Belgian has endured a torrid season and with the imminent arrival of Depay it could signal a loan move away from Old Trafford, allowing Depay to wear the iconic No.11 shirt.

On the negative front, there was bad news that Michael Carrick would miss the rest of the season with a calf injury. This was indeed bad news as United had struggled in the middle of the park without his presence in the team.

The manager chose the following team: De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Shaw, Blind, Herrera, Mata, Fellaini, Young and Rooney.

Subs: Valdes, Evans, McNair, Pereira, Januzaj, Wilson and Falcao.

Luke Shaw had recovered from his injury that kept him out against WBA but there was no place even in the squad for Robin van Persie who had a virus or Angel Di Maria who was injured in training.

United got the match under way playing in their white away strip. Rooney started up front with Fellaini patrolling behind him and they were immediately in the thick of the action as the away side started brightly.

In the 4th minute, the first corner of the match went to United as Valencia powered down the right and his cross was deflected.

The passing from United in the early stages was falling short of what was needed.

7 minutes and Daley Blind let fly with a shot from distance that the keeper Speroni just managed to fingertip onto the post and out for a corner. A good effort from Blind and it is good to see a player try his luck from outside the area.

In the first ten minutes, United were in total control of the match however as in recent matches their final ball was left wanting.

Former Red Devil Zaha tried to conjure up something on the left but he was well marshalled by the defence.

13 minutes into the match and It was Ander Herrera's turn to try a shot from outside the area which wasn't even close to the target.

Fellaini showed his worth to the team as his was back in his own area to clear away a Palace cross then continued up the field to help start an attack.

After a quarter of an hour, the home team started to ask questions of United by peppering De Gea's area with crosses from both left and right which were dealt with fairly comfortably.

Then in the 20th minute United were awarded a penalty as a harmless cross by Young was handled in the area by Dann.

With no van Persie and Rooney relegated as penalty taker it was left to Juan Mata to confidently dispatched the ball beyond the reach of the keeper into the bottom corner.

Great start for United who seemed to grow in confidence from the goal even Herrera tried a Rooney volley on the turn but it didn't quite have the same result.

Quite clearly van Gaal had instructed the team to shoot on sight as it was Rooney who had an attempt easily saved after 23 minutes.

The brilliant away fans were once again in fine voice easily outsinging the home support.

Palace had a great chance to equalise after 25 minutes following a corner given away by Phil Jones. The cross was floated deep into the box and Jedinak rose the highest to power a header just wide.

Shortly afterwards, Mata gave away a free-kick in a dangerous position which Palace worked well to open up a chance that didn't quite come off for them.

The warning signs were certainly there for United who needed to show composure when all the Palace players were over reacting to every decision.

On the half hour mark and there was a worrying sight as Falcao was spotted warming up on the touchline as Rooney struggled to shake off a knock to his thigh.

With ten minutes of the half remaining Luke Shaw received treatment after an elbow to his face which allowed Rooney the time to discuss his thigh problem with the physio.

It was clear Shaw couldn't continue and after treatment he was replaced by Jonny Evans. Yet another blow, literally,  for Shaw who has been the most injured player at United this season.

A defensive reshuffle saw Jones move to left back and Evans partnered Smalling in the middle of the defence.

Five minutes before the break and United had a second shout for a penalty as the defender Delaney clearly handled a Rooney effort but referee Oliver wasn't interested this time.

In the 42nd minute after great work down the right by Valencia, the ball was eventually crossed in by Herrera to the far post where Fellaini, unfortunately, didn't react quick enough.

A minute of normal time was left on the clock and hero Mata nearly turned villain as he almost played Jones into trouble with a crazy back pass that was thankfully tidied up by Smalling. With United's past history in defence, it could have been worse.

United ended the half on the attack with a corner which was well won by the impressive Ashley Young. However, It was clear to all that Rooney would not appear for the second half.

The first half wasn't pretty from United but was all about doing a job which they completed well. Although Palace did have a few chances to score they never really threatened David de Gea's goal.

It was a blow to lose Shaw as he and Young had once again combined well down the left and the potential loss of Rooney could have an adverse effect on the team in the second half.

As expected Falcao did replace Rooney at the start of an important 45 minutes in the Red Devil's season.

Palace started the strongest and gave United's defence, and the fans, the jitters on a few occasions as they went in search of an equaliser.

It was understandable that the United players were nervous and the fact that they showed a maturity in their play speaks volumes to the work van Gaal has done this season.

In the first ten minutes of the restart, De Gea dealt well with all the high balls planted into his area, which proved how well he has improved his all round game.

54th minute and Ander Herrera was harshly booked for a foul in which he hardly touched the player.
Two minutes later and Palace drew level as Smalling gave away a foul right on the edge of the penalty area.

Up stepped Puncheon who planted the ball into the net all too easily. United's wall made no attempt to block the ball and remained rooted to the ground as the ball sailed into the goal.

A soft goal for United to concede but with Evans, Smalling and Jones reunited in defence it was certainly no huge surprise.

On the hour mark, Smalling lost the ball in the centre circle and gifted a chance for the home side who couldn't capitalise on the chance.

After the goal, it was all Palace with United definitely on the back foot and if not for some poor finishing by the home forwards it could have been a lot worse.

Not for the first time this season United needed some inspiration from somewhere.

It almost came from Blind who set up an attack in the 66th minute as he released Valencia whose cross was met weakly by the head of Fellaini.

70th minute and it was  David de Gea to the rescue as he has done so many times this season with a point blank save of a certain goal.

Three minutes later it was Ashley Young who started to increase the tempo down the left and he had an effort deflected for a corner.

One minute later Mata had the ball in the net but Fellaini was ruled off-side. Better from United but at the other end the defence was having huge difficulties coping with the speed of the home side's attackers.

76 minutes and United's best player, Young, flew down the wing and into the penalty area where he pulled back a pass to Mata who fired over.

Then one minute later the all important breakthrough came for United when that man Young crossed over a wonderful ball to the far post to allow Fellaini the simple task of heading the ball into the back of the net for his sixth goal of an impressive season.

A great goal not dissimilar to the one that Fellaini scored against Man City made from the industrious work of Ashley Young who has been the best player since the turn of the year once he reverted back to an out and out winger.

Even at 2-1 up the stress of the situation was evident as Palace still threatened the United defence.
Bearing that in mind Paddy McNair replaced Smalling which provided a fresh pair of legs at the back for the last eight minutes.

In the 85th minute, it was De Gea to the rescue again time as he saved a shot with his legs to stop a certain goal.

The Fellaini goal seemed to knock the wind out of Palace as United almost added a third in the last minute after Herrera had an excellent shot tipped over by the keeper.

That move involved the hard working Young and Falcao. It was the Colombians only really telling contribution to another disappointing outing in a United shirt.

Full-time and it ended 2-1 to Manchester United and how important a win that was. Palace put up a fight but United hung on to record their first victory in the last four games and earned the three points needed to put them in the driving seat for a top four finish.

Ashley Young provided another fine performance and it was his cross that led to the penalty and his assist that led to the winning goal. Deserved the man of the match accolades.

Where would United be without their Spaniard in goal? On at least two occasions, David de Gea came to the teams' rescue with point-blank saves to keep United ahead. Let's hope his head hasn't been turned by the attentions of Real Madrid and he commits his future to United.

Down to the last two matches starting with the visit of Arsenal to Old Trafford next Sunday. If results elsewhere go United's way we could have a guaranteed Champions League place by the time we meet them. Even so, this brings with it a chance to avenge the defeat at the hands of the Gunners in the FA Cup quarter-final.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Better late than never for United.

Newcastle United 0 Manchester United 1

In the build up to this match, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal described the battle to finish in the top four and gain a Champions League place as a 'Rat Race'. I would rather call it a 'Cat Fight' as there are five teams fighting over the milk but only two of them will get the cream.

With only 10 matches to go following this round of weeknight matches only United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs and Southampton have a realistic chance of grabbing the last two prestigious places at the top of the European table. Which teams will end up eating with the elite remains to be seen but a failure to qualify would be seen as a disaster.

United traveled to St James' Park knowing only a win would suffice as the other teams around them were starting to pick up momentum and points.

The only absentees were Robin van Persie and Luke Shaw but it still meant the manager had the advantage of picking from a strong squad of players and this was his starting XI: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Evans, Rojo, Blind, Herrera, Di Maria, Fellaini, Young & Rooney. Subs: Lindegaard, Jones, McNair, Carrick, Mata, Januzaj & Falcao.

Van Gaal made only one change to the side that had started against Sunderland at the weekend and that meant Fellaini was in and Falcao demoted to the bench. Angel Di Maria kept his place even though he has been out of sorts in recent displays and Juan Mata was once again named as a substitute.

Within a minute of the start the Reds broke forward through captain Rooney and with three against two he played the ball through to the speedy Di Maria but his first touch let him down and the move quickly broke down. A good start from United but I wonder if a more confident Di Maria wouldn't have wasted such a good opportunity in front of goal.

After a quality display against Sunderland Ashley Young took his time finding his feet on the left and gave the ball away a couple of times in the early stages of the match.

Newcastle won the first corner after five minutes when Di Maria lost the ball in attack far too easily this was quickly followed by another wayward cross-field pass from the Argentinian which almost set Newcastle on their way but they wasted their chance.

The home side had a good shout for a penalty after a coming together between Smalling and Riviere but referee Taylor waved play on. A big let off for Smalling who would have been in serious trouble if the decision had gone against him.

In the opening fifteen minutes, former United player Obertan was seeing plenty of the ball, probably far more of it than he saw when he was at Old Trafford.

In the 14th minute, Herrera sliced an effort wide after Rooney had held the ball up well in the penalty area. At this point in the match, United were pressing and a through ball over the top from Daley Blind almost found Rooney on the end of it but keeper Krul managed to get to there first.

Talking of Blind I've been impressed with his work rate this season and even though he was guilty of some early errors you can't fault his willingness to get stuck in.

United's first corner didn't come until the 21st minute and was taken by Young from the right which Fellaini rose high to get to but couldn't achieve any direction or power on it.

Shortly after there was some good combination play on the right wing between Di Maria and Valencia to get the ball across but it was too high even for Fellaini.

Rooney had a great chance to put United ahead as the Magpie defence stood still waiting for an offside flag which didn't come and the forward collected the ball from Young's touch, span and just put his effort out for a goal kick. A great chance missed but at least the Reds were making the effort.

On the half hour after a mistake by Newcastle Di Maria nicked the ball of the left back and then played it into Rooney who couldn't quite get it under control before Krul gathered. Another chance went begging and it looked like being one of those nights.

In the first 30 minutes United were totally in control and Rooney and Di Maria were the liveliest players on the pitch and their efforts had been unfortunate not to have earned a goal.

In all honesty, the home side were rather dull and lacked any ambition or ideas which made it easier for United. They did manage a shot in the 35th minute which forward Cisse blasted well wide of David de Gea's goal.

Five minutes before half-time Young whipped over one of his trademark right-footed crosses which Di Maria sent back over from the right but no-one was there to get on the end of it.

Then Johnny Evans and Cisses had a spat, literally, in the center circle which they continued for the next few minutes, on closer inspection they both had a kick at each other after the ball had gone and were both fortunate not to receive yellow cards or worse after they were seen exchanging bodily fluids.

A great cross from Valencia in the 43rd minute saw Fellaini rise the highest to power a header goal-wards which Krul palmed out into the box where Herrera was waiting to pounce, but the ball sailed over his head.

With a minute of normal time left de Gea got a hand to the ball as Riviere bore down on his goal. In fairness, the striker did start to tumble to the ground as de Gea approached but that takes nothing away from the keepers' bravery diving at the feet of a couple of players. Another area of de Gea's game that he has vastly improved on.

Half-time and all square at 0-0. United had played better than in recent matches and had managed a total of five shots but due to a combination of poor finishing and the keeper Krul they had failed to capitalise on their superiority. They had also survived a strong penalty claim from Newcastle.

No changes were made by van Gaal at the beginning of the second half as United started brightly and after two minutes Marcos Rojo tried his luck from distance only to see his effort just go over the bar.

On 49 minutes Newcastle created their best chance as a ball over the top beat the offside trap but de Gea came to United's rescue yet again as he spread himself to save a header from Riviere at the far post. This was followed by a corner that was cleared from the danger area by Smalling. Not for the first time this season United were living dangerously and were saved by the outstanding de Gea.

Then by far United's best chance of the game came at the other end when two efforts were missed by the Reds in the same move. First Fellaini chested down and had his volley saved then Young failed to score from the rebound.

Rooney did manage to put the ball in the net in the 56th minute this time he was adjudged to be offside but on closer inspection it was a very close call.

Chance after chance came and went and it seemed all United needed was someone with a calm head to convert one of them.

On 58 minutes, Adnan Januzaj joined the action in place of a very unhappy Di Maria who could easily be seen mouthing his displeasure under his breath. To be fair, he had played well, certainly better than against Sunderland.

United received their first caution in the 59th minute when Rojo was booked for upending Obertan.

After an hours play, it was proving to be a frustrating evening for United as too many attacks came to a halt for offside decisions or all they couldn't convert possession into clear-cut chances.

Januzaj tried to stretch his legs down the right but was scythed down by Gutierrez who earned himself a yellow card.

67 minutes into the match and Cisse squandered another great chance for Newcastle as they counter attacked, but he pulled his effort well wide when he should have done a lot better. United let the home side create too many chances and needed to re-stamp their authority on the game and get the goal which would keep the noisy natives quiet and surely win the match.

After 74 minutes, Rooney did well to get up above the defenders to meet another cross by Ashley Young that almost deceived Krul but he managed to scramble it clear. That was a decent effort by Rooney who was looking like the only United player able to break the deadlock.

Jonny Evans tried to bring some surprise into the attack by showing some initiative and rushed forward with the ball unchallenged right up to the opposition box, but nothing came from his hard work. At least he tried I suppose.

Januzaj didn't create many chances from the right and I began to wonder if Di Maria was right to moan about his earlier substitution.

In the 80th minute van Gaal brought on Mata for Fellaini who had been industrious and had a couple of chances but a change in United's tactics was needed plus a fresh pair of legs for the last ten minutes.

Valencia became the second United player to be booked after being played into trouble by Januzaj.

United's last throw of the dice came with less than two minutes on the clock when Michael Carrick made a welcome return after injury by replacing Rojo.

Then in the last minute the winner came to send United fans all over the world into a frenzy. After great work from Rooney who chased a lost cause in the penalty area to cause confusion in the home defence, which in turn made Krul miskick the ball straight into the path of Ashley Young who calmly slotted the ball over the line to the obvious relieve of van Gaal who sprang out of his seat and punched the air in delight.

There in Young we at last saw the steady head needed to win the match. That was Ashley Young's first goal since his effort against Cardiff City in January 2014  and didn't he choose the right time to come up with the winner and he deserves the accolades as he has been exceptional this season.

Of course, United kept us on the edge of our seats by almost conceding an equaliser from the restart but that man de Gea was there again to save United with a great stop at his near post.

Even though Young scored the winner there is no doubt who won the match with his pressing of the defence in the build-up to the goal, captain Rooney. His persistence in chasing the ball created the winning goal out of absolutely nothing. It was a good lesson in never giving up a lost cause especially when you consider he didn't even touch the ball he just kept biting away at the defenders until they made the all important error.

Keeper David de Gea proved yet again that he has been the most outstanding player this season and the hope that his new contract will be signed very soon is as high as ever.

In the end it was a massive result for United who deserved the points although Newcastle had their chances the only worry was that it would end all square but thankfully that wasn't the case and United came away with the three very valuable points after other teams around them had also all won.

Next week, it's the return of the FA Cup and the much-anticipated match against Arsenal at Old Trafford in the quarter-finals. In the past, this tie has produced some humdingers over the years and I expect the same type of clash next Monday. However, being the cautious type I will take a drab 1-0 win for United and safe passage into the semi's, but as you and I know that is just not going to happen with United, so be ready for a clash that will have our bum's twitching and nerves jangling right until the end.

Thanks again for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Man United held by ten-man Villa.

Villa Park is a stadium which holds fond memories for the United team and the fans. Throughout football history, it has been a happy hunting ground, as we have enjoyed many glorious matches there.

Who can forget the scenes that followed the 'goal of the century' by Ryan Giggs in the FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal in 1999, on the way to the historic 'treble'

You have to go all the back to the opening day of the 1995-96 season, for the last time Villa won against United at home. That day Sir Alex Ferguson's side, featuring youngsters such as Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and David Beckham, went down 3-1 in a result which prompted BBC pundit Alan Hansen to famously utter this classic comment: "You don't win anything with kids." How wrong he was proved to be.

The Manchester United team news, which didn't include any kids, had Louis van Gaal giving a start to Falcao up front, but more surprising was the choice of Darren Fletcher in midfield. This was due to undisclosed illnesses to Fellaini and Herrera.


Michael Carrick started the match in the middle of a back three along with Jonny Evans and Phil Jones in front of recent hero David de Gea.

Then there was Young and Valencia out wide with Fletcher and Rooney in the middle, Mata sat in the hole behind the strikers Falcao and Robin van Persie. On the bench were two players coming back from injury, Angel Di Maria and Da Silva.

United enjoyed the majority of possession in the early exchanges without creating any clear chances, but unfortunately Villa took the lead on 17 minutes, when from a free kick Benteke chested down in the penalty area, then without a serious challenge from the United defence, shimmied and curled a left-footed shot across three United players and past de Gea, who to be fair didn't stand a chance. A goal against the run of play, but a warning that this wasn't going to go all United's way.

Villa showed that they had the pace up front to worry the United defenders and on one such break their forwards were bearing down on goal, but without a brilliant tackle from Jonny Evans it could have been a lot worse for United.

On the half hour, Young nearly shoved the boos back down the Villans throats, when his curling shot come cross almost sneaked in at the far post if it hadn't been for Villa keeper Guzan managing to palm it to safety.

United's attacking play cried out for some invention as it was all so predictable, lots of the ball but no imagination, it was crying out for someone to work some magic. Sadly not many magicians were on show.

Falcao's first chance came on 23 minutes when he was played through by van Persie, in the end he shot tamely under pressure. The best play was coming from United's right flank via Valencia, but the Villa defence dealt with any crosses that came over.

It was a poor first 45 minutes for the Red Devils, and even though they had the ball in danger areas they had nothing to show for it.

At the start of the second half, it was no great surprise to see van Gaal make a change by bringing on Tyler Blackett for Fletcher. This meant that Carrick moved up into his preferred midfield role.
Right from the off the United back three, without Carrick marshaling them were in trouble as the trio of Blackett, Jones and Evans struggled to deal with Benteke, Jones just managing to block his shot. From the resulting corner de Gea made an important tip over from a Benteke header.

In the 50th minute van Persie forced a save from Guzan as United tried to convert their chances. The main objective, apart from equalising, was to keep the ball away from United's defence.

The pressure paid off in the 53rd minute when Young made a surge down the left and delivered a superb pinpoint cross, a cross which Falcao met with his head to give the keeper no chance.

In a rare show of emotion van Gaal punched the air with delight as Falcao raced to share his joy with the away fans.

After the equaliser came a push by United to find a quick goal and van Persie came closest with an overhead attempt.

On the hour mark came United's second substitution with Di Maria, making his return from injury, replacing van Persie. Straight away Di Maria was pressing forward and had three rather tame shots on goal, unfortunately, all were easily dealt with by Guzan in the Villa goal.

Then on 64 minutes the match heated up as Agbonlahor was red-carded for a foul on Young. He had a case for protesting as the replays showed it was a 50/50 challenge, but the referee decided he had gone over the top on Young. This not only left Villa down to ten men, but the boos for Young reached new decibels every time he touched the ball.


The 73rd minute saw another change as James Wilson was brought on for Antonio Valencia. Young was switched to the right and Di Maria patrolled the left wing.

That was a decision I didn't understand as the balance of the team would have been better served with Valencia staying on as he had been performing well down the right flank.

In contrast to Young who was having a torrid time with the Villa fans, and to take him out of that atmosphere would have made sense.

This was proven by the numerous opportunities he had to put in crosses from the right wing, but his deliveries on many attempts were below standard compared to his cross for Falcao's goal.

United had a flurry of corners and saw one cause confusion in the Villa box, but Falcao just couldn't reach the ball in time before it was put out of play by the Villa defence.

Towards the end of the match Villa came the closest to snatching the winner with a strike from Bacuna that just flew over a relieved de Gea's crossbar.

At the other end, Wilson had a lovely effort in the last minute but it lacked any power, how sweet that would have been for the youngster to grab the winner and the headlines.


Once again United toiled in a game that they should have won fairly easily bearing in mind Villa's injury list, and the fact that they were playing against ten men for the last twenty minutes. Only getting into their groove after the half-time change, which saw Fletcher depart and Carrick moved into the middle.

Carrick showing once again how brilliant the new vice-captain has been since returning from injury. He adapted so easily to the change in the system during the match. It's no great surprise that the team has still not lost this season when he has been in the side.

Darren Fletcher looked out of sorts in the middle of the park. and he didn't help himself by giving away the free kick that led to the Villa opener. Having been stripped of the vice-captaincy in favour of Carrick, you have to wonder how he fits into van Gaal's future plans, if at all.

He only started the match as both Fellaini and Herrera were not well enough to play. Fletcher has given the club great service over the last ten or so seasons, and has overcome a serious illness to get back into the team; however, in all fairness to him, if all the midfielders were fit he probably wouldn't get a look in.

This was a case of two points dropped at the end of the day. A few months ago I never thought I would be saying this, but our midfield missed Fellaini's presence, and I thought Mata had his first poor match for a while.

Having said all that, after six straight wins, a draw away from home is not the end of the world, and compared to when things were not going United's way at the beginning of the season this has been a good few weeks for the red devils.

We are now unbeaten in the last seven games. The team, under van Gaal's leadership, is still moving in the right direction and remain in third place.

Next up is the visit to Old Trafford of Newcastle United on Boxing day quickly followed two days later by United's last match of 2014, an away trip to the capital to take on Spurs. I fully expect United to end the year with two more wins that will send us flying into 2015.

I would like to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and thanks for all your continued support by reading my blogs.

Miles Dunton.