Right then, that’s us done. The report will be up here and on the front page of the site presently, but in the meantime, join Rob Smyth for Southampton v Liverpool.

So there we go! United, Newcastle move up to 13th - what a peculiar mess “this league” is - and United, Manchester stay second, leaving City, Manchester in need of just 18 points from 11 games to be champions.

90+4 min WHAT A SAVE! Carrick heads down into the path of McTominay, who accelerates down the side of the box only to be relieved by a perfect challenge from Lascelles. But Mata then drives a low cross which Carrick flashes goalwards, only for Dubravka to shove away! What a game he’s had!

90+4 min Hayden replaces Perez, in the process wasting what little time remains.

90+3 min United win another corner, then another; for the first time, Newcastle look nervous. But a flying header from someone, Lascelles I think, elicits a glorious and throaty roar from the crowd.

90+1 min Valencia dinks a ball over the top, it flicks a head and Martial lets it go out for a corner; I’ve no idea why. Mata swings it out, all the men attacking it run past it for an inswinger, and Newcastle clear.

90 min There’ll be four added minutes.

90 min Let it not be forgotten that Newcastle’s goal came as a result of Chris Smalling diving.

89 min Gary Neville gives Jonjo Shelvey man of the match; can’t argue with that. His passing has been excellent and he’s never been far from the action.

87 min Atsu’s control is loose and the ball pops up, inviting Valencia to flatten him with a boot to the coupon. Somehow, he avoids a caution ... no he doesn’t.

86 min Newcastle have done really well since going ahead, keeping the heid when playing out of defence and looking to make United defend.

85 min I think I forgot to note that McTominay replaced Matic. He’s young and deserves a chance, but so far it’s not been easy to detect that which makes him special.

84 min Change for Newcastle: Kenedy, who’s given the ball away too much these last few minutes, is replaced by Atsu.

83 min There’ve been three really excellent performances for Newcastle today: Dubravka, Lejeune and Shelvey, but pretty much everyone has turned in a 7/10.

81 min Nothing to do with football whatsoever, but a word to the wise: if you’re not watching Gomorrah, you really, really should be. You’re welcome.

80 min Shelvey wins possession in centrefield with a thunderous challenge - the crowd love it - but Kenedy makes a mess of things when presented with possession.

79 min First change for Newcastle, Gayle replaced by Joselu. He should’ve had a penalty and contributed brilliantly for the goal, so will deem that a good afternoon’s work and rightly so.

77 min In comes the corner and Smalling heads across goal, the ball dropping to Martial! He swings a foot at it, but a slice is blocked back to him, he swings a foot at it, but a studs is blocked away! It’s looking like Newcastle’s day!

76 min Carrick directs a long pass to Martial; how United miss someone able to do that. There’s no one up with so he’s forced to turn and slide one between defenders for Lukaku, who turns and stands up a cross to the back post, where Mata plants a towering header past Dubravka can’t compete and is happy to earn a corner.

75 min Scott McTominay, Jose Mourinho’s conscience, is about to come on for United. To what end, I’m not sure.

73 min While we’re on the subject of centre-backs, I don’t entirely see how Smalling and Jones are back starting after their efforts at Spurs. Neither is useless, neither is good enough for what United need, and both played badly enough to offer someone else a chance. Lindelof, at least, can pass the ball.

72 min Smalling tries a three-yard square-pass, which goes behind Jones. Were he a writer, he wouldn’t be able to spell.

70 min These next 20 minutes, or this next 20 minutes, I don’t know, are or is huge for Newcastle; it’s not just the points they need, but the momentum. Manchester United, meanwhile, need to show they’ve got the moxie to muster a comeback - they don’t really do that anymore.

70 min Carrick has gone alongside Matic, with Martial on the left, Sanchez in the middle and Mata on the right behind Lukaku.

69 min “Just to provide some useful context to the comment by Matt Cast,” says Edward Dickson. “Yes, we spent huge amounts when we were in the Championship, but that’s because we sold players for huge fees. Ashley made a net profit of £30m. So to say he’s investing is misleading and wrong.”

Innit.

68 min Young finds space down the left of the box and Lukaku pulls away alongside him asking for a square pass. But Young opts to go alone, shmicing a low shot which Dubravka, who’s been very good, parries away and behind. the corner comes to nowt.

67 min On the United bench, Pogba looks about to cry.

66 min Off go Pogba and Lingard; on come Carrick and Mata.

64 min Chris Sammer Smalling beats two men and dives to avoid the third challenge. He’s booked.

63 min Pogba loses possession deep inside the Newcastle half and they break, Young eventually scuffling the ball away from Gayle. On the United bench, Mata and Carrick are getting ready, presumably for Pogba and Lingard.

61 min “Previous Ashley managers have been criticised as yes men by fans,’ tweets Craig Scott. “Benitez’s militancy has kept fans behind him, and judging by commitment, players still have shared belief. He isn’t above criticism but lack of quality, not conviction, will send us down. One man’s fault.”

Yeah, I think that’s fair. Militancy, what a quality that is for a football manager to have.

59 min “Why do Newcastle fans always take such a black-and-white view of things?” asks Matt Cast. “Here, it’s Ashley as pure evil and Benitez as the white knight who can do no wrong. Didn’t Newcastle spend huge by Championship standards to get back into the PL? Didn’t Ashley authorise that spending? And didn’t Benitez spend it on players who achieved easy promotion but clearly haven’t been capable of more? So isn’t Benitez responsible to some extent for the situation? (Yes, yes, yes and yes!)”

I don’t see it like that. Ashley has no interest other than Ashley and Newcastle fans don’t simply want success, they want a sense of ownership of that which is theirs. Benitez has done a decent job in the circumstances, I’d say.

56 min Oh dear! Lovely link-up from Lukaku, who takes a pass from Valencia and allows it across his body, hanging on long enough to slot a delicious pass into the path of Sanchez, who nips past Dubravka in a trice. But with the ball running away from him, he opts not to shoot first time when really he should, taking a touch instead by which time Lejeune, having a stormer, is between him and goal; Sanchez should give it some air but can’t dig out, and again the block is made.

54 min Sanchez is such a player, weaving past two challenges inside a phone box down the left-hand side of the box. But as he looks to whack a finish past Dubravka, Lejeune does brilliantly to block his finish into the side-netting.

52 min Pogba finds Sanchez who wriggles away with Ritchie on his back, winning a free-kick. 30 yards out, Sanchez tires a dink and nothing comes of it, but United maintain pressure and Valencia loops up a cross to the back post, where Smalling fouls Dummett heading for Lukaku who fouls Lejuene and heads home. The goal is disallowed.

51 min Lovely ball in from Ritchie, just too strong for Shelvey. Shelvey has played well today, though Matic and Pogba have given him plenty of time.

48 min United have started the second half with more intensity than the first, Martial almost finding space inside the Newcastle box. But then look at this! Shelvey slides a wonderful pass through for Ritchie, who’s in ... of course Jones can’t resist bundling him over ... but up goes the flag. Great decision from the linesman, not much in that. Alternatively, lucky from the linesman, he had no idea what was right there because it’s physically impossible for the human eye to look in opposite directions. Either way, it doesn’t matter – it’s only football.

46 min “I think you’re way off base hinting at Newcastles possible relegation having anything to do with Benitez creating an ‘atmosphere’,” reckons Matthew Pavlich.

“I’ve followed the Newcastle saga relatively closely since he joined the club, and the performances on the field as close as I can without watching every weekend. Although I am biased towards Benitez, I think this season might be his finest work of his career. Look at the squad of players he has and tell me which ones would be in any other squad in the league. Lascelles and Merino would probably have places in the 25 of any team outside the top six. Lascelles is going to be a big time player one day. Shelvey, Yedlin, Diame are probably squad players for a lot of the teams in the bottom 10? They’ve just added an unfit Slimani on the last day of the window to score them goals. Am I missing much? Maybe Atsu? It hasn’t been easy viewing, and the public relations stuff from him is always awkward at best, but this man has definitely squeezed almost as much juice as possible out of this lemon.”

Fair enough - I’m not saying he’s done a bad job, just that his players need to know he believes in them, and from the outside that’s not always evident.

46 min We go again.

“Your new penalty rule,” emails Rick McGahey. “Don’t think it would work. In addition to having to recognise and call fouls in the penalty area in real time (something English refs aren’t always very good at to begin with), refs then have to introduce all the elements of DOGSO (denying a goal-scoring opportunity). Right now, a major foul outside the area results in a free kick, inside the area, a penalty, refs have a clear guide here. But your new rule, as written, would confuse me as a ref (happens a lot now anyway...) Would it also apply to handling? Serious foul play? Spitting? Kicking or attempting to kick? Etc. All those are major fouls now in the laws, and result in penalties inside the area? Would they no longer result in penalty kicks?”

I don’t think this is tricky. If a player has a chance to score, if you’re watching the game, you know that. To take an example involving these teams, in the dying stages of their match at the end of 1997-98, Robert “Rob” Lee was through on goal and just before the box, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fouled him. He got sent off, but that didn’t help Newcastle. On the other hand, Smalling’s tackle was stupid, but punishing it with a free shot at goal? Not for, Clive.

Half-time email: “Newcastle need to score goals,” says Marion.. A lot of pressure on the Leicester loan once he’s fit....

Any bad atmosphere is down to Ashley who neither sells the club not does proper business in the transfer market.”

Yes, totally agree ultimate responsibility lies with Ashley. I just wonder if at some point Benitez has to accept who he works for and make the best of things.

45+1 min Nice from United, keeping the ball before Pogba chips a pass for Sanchez, who heads inside his man and finds Lukaku. He comes inside, waits, and then wallops his usual imprecise finish into the nearest defender. That wasn’t an easy opportunity, but he just isn’t a killer; he lacks precision and variety, almost always smacking shots with the inside of his foot after dwelling on them for far too long.

45 min There’ll be one added minute.

43 min Going back to that penalty puts me in mind of a law change I’d like: if there’s a foul anywhere on the pitch that ruins a goalscoring opportunity, penalty. If there’s a foul in the box that doesn’t ruin a goalscoring opportunity, such as the one we just saw, free-kick.

43 min Yedlin pulls Lingard back and is booked.

41 min “Re. Benitez creating an atmosphere at St. James’s Park.” emails David Manby, I think it is his master plan: get them down near the bottom save them from relegation and then demand the money for signings!”

I get why he wants players, but there comes a point at which you need to give those you have confidence and trust. Mourinho perhaps cost Chelsea the 2013 title because he was so disgusted with the strikers he’d been left that he refused to use them, and home defeats to Sunderland and Villa did for him.

40 min Gayle beats Smalling to the ball on the left corner of the box and Smalling lunges anyway, sending Gayle sprawling. That’s a penalty, it so is, but the ref sees to the contrary.

39 min Lukaku, who’s playing well, pulls left, comes inside, and curls a delicious ball into the middle; if he could cross to himself, he’d score more goals. Martial meets it on the run, but his flying header is just wide.

37 min Gayle chases into the corner after a long ball, at which Jones leaps and gurns. He gets a touch, holds his arm up in acknowledgement, and the ref gives a goalkick to Benitez’s consternation.

35 min Great save Dubranka! Miserable miss Martial! United build the play nicely from the back before Matic finds himself lanking through the centre-circle ... I know! He slides a lovely ball into Martial ... I know! ... who eases onto the gas and leaves Lejeune, but the best finisher in United’s squad telegraphs his intention, leaning left and sliding right. Dubranka picks him, and saves pretty easily in the end.

35 min People who watch Newcastle more often than I do: what do they have to do stay up, and if they go down, how much of it will be Benitez’s fault for creating an atmosphere around the lack of signings?

33 min Back come United, Sanchez again to the fore, wriggling space for Lingard to dig out a low shot which Dubranka slumps upon down by his near post.

31 min Nice from Newcastle again, Perez instigating a move which sees them pick across the face of the United box before Ritchie slips back to Shelvey. He could shoot first time, but opts to drag the ball a bit wider, looking to open the angle but actually allowing Jones to fling himself in the road, which is actually his hobby.

30 min And Newcastle comes again, Kenedy findins space to line up a shot; he catches it well enough, but sends it straight at De Gea who punches clear.

29 min Better from Newcastle, stringing a few passes together before Ritchie massacres wide.

28 min More pressure from United; Sanchez has been excellent since the balance of power passed. And Martial pops up again at inside-right, sliding a pass through to Lingard who botches his control.

26 min Newcastle are struggling to get the ball now, 20 percent possession in the last ten minutes. But though Sanchez just headed up in the air at the back post, forcing the chance under pressure from Yedlin, United have yet to create anything approximating to a chance.

25 min Pogba seeks out Martial with a long pass and he comes infield then looks to roll into the path of Sanchez, who can’t gather; there wasn’t quite enough on it.

23 min I should already have noted that United are wearing black armbands in memory of the late Liam Miller, who died yesterday at the horrendously young age of 36. A fine bloke by absolutely every account.

21 min Sanchez is already the fulcrum of United’s attacking which, to belabour the point, makes me wonder if should be in the middle. He appears at inside-right, feeds Pogba, and a wedge over the top finds Lukaku in the box. Offside say the officials; onside says the replay. Amazingly, the game moves on and we all survive.

20 min United have been a bit better these last few minutes, which might suit Newcastle; they’re passing isn’t especially reliable and Newcastle have pace on the break ... which they have a chance to use, only for Perez to run into Jones.

19 min “Whilst better than last season, Man Utd’s form kind of reminds me of a malfunctioning pub hand dryer, either blisteringly hot, or frustratingly tepid an ineffectual,” emails Tim Travers.

Just wipe em on your jeans, mate. You’re welcome.

17 min Lovely from United, Pogba finding Lukaku, who sweeps out to Sanchez down the left; he muscle-skates past Yedlin and cuts back a return, for Lukaku to swing a fresh air. Everyone laughs.

16 min “Why not ‘Newcastle’ and ‘Manchester’?” asks David Bolam. Because much as my upbringing taught me otherwise, there are two teams in Manchester.

14 min United try to get something going, Lingard linking up with Martial before Pogba is took weak laying back. But they keep it going, Young feeding Sanchez on the opposite touchline, who lays infield to the wandering Martial. He sakes past Yedlin and has Lukaku to inside, but his low square pass is poorly behind his man.

13 min Pogba is not moving well. I’m not entirely sure why he’s still on the pitch, but he’s told Mourinho that he’s fine.

12 min “Since we’re talking about Spurs,” says Peter Crosby, “one of the interesting things about their formation is how fluid the front 4 can be. Eriksen is usually out wide right on the team sheet but rarely stays there, while Kane also drops deep sometimes and everyone kind of interchanges. Might it be that Mourinho might be attempting to emulate Poch on the attacking front?”

It’s possible, and they certainly need to improve their interplay. The problem is that Lukaku struggles in that environment - he needs wingers and crosses, which United can’t really give him.

11 min This has been a good start from Newcastle, and they work space for Yedlin to cross from the right; Smalling does well to leap, stretch and head clear.

9 min “I could write a Wilson-esque tome about the issues with this United side,” threatens David Flynn, “but for now let me boil it down to these few points. Total misuse of Pogba, not enough midfielders, too many left sided attackers, not enough pace on the right and a £75m striker who looks like he’s trying to control a rugby ball. And yet somehow they’re 2nd. Is that a slight on the league or praise for Jose? I dunno.”

I agree with this. Sanchez was a good buy because he was free, available and brings edge to a squad lacking in that area, but he fills a position that didn’t need filling.

8 min Sanchez trips over the ball not far outside his own box and Diame does really well to barge through him and Matic, though the latter is weak. Perez then grabs possession and lashes a low shot just wide of the far post; had that been on target, De Gea wasn’t getting there.

7 min United are playing a triangle in midfield, reckons Gary Neville, with Matic at its base and Pogba and Lingard in front. That’s not that different from at Spurs, and still liable to be swamped against quality opposition.

5 min Perez smacks a crap free-kick into the bottom of the wall, but the ball breaks for Shelvey ... and he panels a shot with his laces that De Gea prangs away! It was right at him, more or less, but there was enough power behind it to make that a decent save.

5 min Smalling flings his chest at a ball and blocks with a combination of arm and chest; handball says the ref, awarding Newcastle a free-kick just outside the box, left of centre.

3 min A finger to the eye seems to be problem, Martial rubbing away like he’s been five round with Alexander Gustafsson. But he’ll be fine.

2 min Martial is down in the middle; after beating Shelvey and Diame, he takes a hand-off to the phizog so has a little rest.

1 min United have Sanchez on the left and Martial the right.

1 min Away we go!

Newcastle huddle. They’re now playing exactly the same team, in exactly the same way.

So Pogba is ready to start. Perhaps it was wind.

Apparently my email above was incorrectly entered. It should work now.

The players are snuggled up in the tunnel ... and here they come!

Back to Pogba, if he’s even slightly hurt, he and Mourinho would be mad not to replace him. United are away to Sevilla a week Wednesday, and are hopeless without him.

Thierry Henry interviewed Alexis Sanchez for Sky, and afterwards talked about his “generosity” on the pitch. I’m not sure everyone at Arsenal would agree with that, even if they benefitted from his energy. It’ll be interesting to see if, in a better team, he becomes more of a team player.

Rafael Benitez says his team will need to play well. More news as I get it.

Paul Pogba appeared to feel a twinge kicking in, and went back to the dressing room. More on that when Geoff Shreeves breaks it.

I suppose I should apologise at this point: I’m not going to continually type “Newcastle United” and “Manchester United”; you’ll have to accept “Newcastle” and “United”.

I wonder if United will at least jiggle their attacking formation after the Spurs game. Anthony Martial has been excellent off the left all season, so it didn’t really make sense to shift him to the right to accommodate Sanchez. Perhaps Lingard will be out there, though he’s better in the middle; the problem, in a way, is that those three players would make for a tricky and fluid front three, except Lukaku, a fixed point, appears to be undroppable.

So how do Newcastle go about getting a result here? If I was Rafael Benitez, I’d be looking to put some pressure on Ashley Young, who can’t have forgotten the chasing he got last time he played. Also, neither Jones nor Smalling much like the ball, so Perez and Gayle should be all over them to stop United building the play.

I must say, I find that United team slightly curious. Not in isolation – it’s fine for this game – but considering the state of their season. United aren’t going for the league but do need to be ready for the cups, and as they learned at Spurs – again – against quality opposition, Shaw is better than Young, by far, an extra midfielder is required to allow Pogba to play off the left, and, if you ask me which I realise you do not, Lukaku needs to sit at the side.

So Newcastle make two changes: in net, Dubravka, on loan from Sparta Prague, makes his debut, while at the back, Clark is injured so Lejeune comes on.

United, meanwhile, make four changes or, more noteworthily, revert to the team punished at Spurs. Out go Rojo, Shaw, McTominay and Mata; in come Jones, Young, Pogba and Martial.