Good afternoon and welcome to the meeting of Newcastle United and Manchester United. Who remembers what happened in this fixture last season?

YouTube credit: espnstar

Here are the staring line-ups:

Newcastle: Harper, Santon, Perch, Williamson, Ferguson, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Cisse, Ba. Subs: Alnwick, Simpson, Anita, Bigirimana, Obertan, Shola Ameobi, Sammy Ameobi.

Manchester United: De Gea, Da Silva, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Cleverley, Carrick, Welbeck, Rooney, Kagawa, van Persie. Subs: Lindegaard, Valencia, Anderson, Giggs, Hernandez, Scholes, Wootton.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Newcastle boss Alan Pardew: “He’s picked a team that he thought he might pick, which is pretty offensive. That’s a bit of a gamble coming here.”

Alex Ferguson: “They’ve had a problem with centre halves like ourselves. You hope we get through these games. As you know we’ve been shipping goals and hopefully the four in there will shore that up.”

There’s a new superhero in Toon, seemingly. Newcastle United will this afternoon unveiled their brand new mascot ‘Why Aye Man’.

Hasn’t a patch on Hooperman IMO…

Credit: nufc.co.uk

United go with an offensive-looking XI with Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Danny Welbeck and Shinji Kagawa all included. The hosts will be banking on Senegalese pair Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse causing problems for Rio Ferdinand and Johnny Evans here.

Early pressure from the away side. Tom Cleverley chips to the opposite corner of the Newcastle box, where the ball is worked to Danny Welbeck. He scuffs a strike, however, and Steve Harper collects easily.

GOAL! Newcastle United 0-1 Manchester United (Johnny Evans)

Corner from Van Persie and the Northern Irish defender leaps higher than Mike Williamson to head home his second Manchester United goal.

Rafael Da Silva blasts wide of the Newcastle goal, then Harper has a bit of shocker. The veteran stopper receives a back-pass and attempts to go by Welbeck but is robbed of possession. United’s young striker takes the shot on early but rolls wide of an empty net. Newcastle have been shaky in the first 12 minutes.

Demba Ba concedes a free-kick 25 yards out from the Newcaastle goal and both Rooney and Van Persie stand over it…

The Dutchman dummies and his strike partner curls on target for Harper to push around the post.

GOAL! Newcastle United 0-2 Manchester United (Patrice Evra)

Another United corner, another defender scores. This time it’s Patrice Evra who gets ahead of Davide Santon and nods into the back of the net. They’ve started like a house on fire and the Magpies have no answers at the minute.

Hoard Webb shows Kagawa a yellow card for taking Hatem Ben Arfa’s legs from beneath him.

Demba Ba pulls to the back post then breaks to the front, where he meets a clever corner but blasts it into the crowd. Evans has been hurt during the set-piece but is fine to continue.

Watch the game’s first goal:

YouTube credit: realgoalsvideo

And the second:

YouTube credit: realgoalsvideo

Rio Ferdinand and Van Persie have both been booked in the last couple of minutes as Newcastle search for an opener. The resulting free-kick is launched into the box by Yohan Cabaye and David De Gea misses the flight of the ball but watches it headed harmlessly wide.

Tiote is next to see yellow. The hard-tackling Ivorian catches Wayne Rooney but doesn’t feel the card is deserved and throws a strop to protest his innocence (see below). Newcastle are battling their way back into this one and Cabaye has just shot over from a lay-off the to edge of the box.

Newcastle growing in confidence and are probing for openings. Jonas Gutierrez is the latest player in Webb’s book for a clumsy sliding tacke on Cleverley.

Two minutes remain in the first half and United have themselves a corner. Carrick glances on to the far post but it’s hist over the head of Rooney and runs out of play.

Three added minutes to be played. Cisse heads wide from another free-kick but the former Freiburg hitman isn’t happy with a tug on his shirt from Evra.

Half-time: Newcastle United 0-2 Manchester United

Some results from today’s other Premier League games:

• Southampton 2-2 Fulham
• Liverpool 0-0 Stoke
• Tottenham 2-0 Aston Villa

The second half has started.

UN-BE-LIEVABLE. I don’t know how that has stayed out. Ba’s looping header from a Shane Ferguson cross comes back off the crossbar, where Cisse heads it back towards goal. De Gea scurries back to claw it away but has the ball already crossed the line??

Replays show a large part of the ball is over but whether the whole ball is, it’s extremely difficult to call. Either way, Newcastle haven’t been awarded the goal.

Manchester United have been narrow and the introduction of Luis Antonio Valencia will no doubt give them an outlet down the right. The Ecuadorian international joins the action in place of Kagawa, who has been quiet today.

Rooney robs Tiote and bursts clear but his left-footed strike is straight at the diving Harper. Could’ve put the game to bed there.

What do you make of the incident? Over the line?

Credit: 101GreatGoals

Van Persie with the neatest of chips over Harper but he is rightly ruled offside.

Alan Pardew has brought on Shola Ameobia and Vurnon Anita for Ferguson and Cisse.

GOAL! Newcastle United 0-3 Manchester United (Tom Cleverley)

ANd that’s the game for United. Rooney plays back to Cleverley, who curls the ball over the head of Harper and into the top corner. Could well have been a cross for RVP, who was loitering at the back post, but he’ll happily claim it.

Some more suspect goalkeeping by De Gea, who punches when catching looks just as easy. The Spaniard takes a kick from James Perch and is awarded a free.

Paul Scholes is on to do his bit for the final ten minutes of this game. Tiote has also been withdrawn for Gael Bigirimana.

Cabaye goes down after an off-the-ball incident with Van Persie. He’s been caught by an elbow but luckily for the United play, Webb hasn’t seen it.

Giggs on for Van Persie.

Cleverley’s goal. Cross or shot? You decide…

YouTube credit: 101GreatGoalsFan7

Full-time: Newcastle United 0-3 Manchester United

United come flying out of the blocks to take an early 2-0 lead and, despite a controversial goal-line incident, record a clean sheet after last week’s defeat at the hands of Spurs. That win puts them second in the table – four points behind Chelsea on 15.

Newcastle were bad for the first two goals but showed spirit and will feel a little unlucky not to have registered a goal in the 90 minutes.

That’s my lot. I’m off to scoff a few Jaffa Cakes before the big one in Spain, which we will be liveblogging shortly. Cheers as always for the company.