Newcastle United vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers

Manchester United returned from Newcastle United with three valuable points thanks to Ashley Young's last-minute winner.

It kept United in the hunt for a place in the top four and next season's Champions League on a night when Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur also won.

Here's a rundown of the winners and losers from St James' Park. Feel free to use the comments section below to agree, disagree and add your own.

Ashley Young (Winner)

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Ashley Young was United's best player against Sunderland. He wasn't quite so good against Newcastle and was lucky not to be sacrificed when Adnan Januzaj came on. But when United were in desperate need of a goal, it was Young who popped up with the winner. It was more a case of being in the right place at the right time than anything particularly skilful, but it was still a cool finish under great pressure.

David de Gea (Winner)

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

United were the better team and deserved to beat Newcastle, but they were once again indebted to their goalkeeper, David de Gea. He didn't stop anything that Van Gaal wouldn't have expected him to save, but the 24-year-old doesn't make many mistakes any more. It was an error from Tim Krul that presented Young with his golden chance at the end. Newcastle weren't that lucky.

Louis van Gaal (Winner)

Jon Super/Associated Press

There was a point on Wednesday night when Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham were winning and United were struggling to break Newcastle down. Consequently, the pressure started to mount on Louis van Gaal.

Dropped points at St James' Park would have made their target of finishing in the top four all the more difficult. But as they have so many times this season, United found a way to win. Van Gaal doesn't usually give much away on the touchline, but you could tell by his celebrations at the end and the way he congratulated each player individually on the pitch how important he thinks the win could be.

Angel Di Maria (Loser)

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Angel Di Maria was better against Newcastle than he was against Sunderland. However, he only lasted an extra 15 minutes. When Van Gaal decided to make his first change, it was Di Maria who came off. The 27-year-old can be pleased with his contribution, especially after the embarrassment of the weekend, but it shows Van Gaal is still not fully convinced by the former Real Madrid player's form.

Radamel Falcao (Loser)

Stu Forster/Getty Images

It's becoming increasingly likely that Radamel Falcao will leave Old Trafford at the end of the season. Despite the absence of Robin van Persie and James Wilson, he was only named as a substitute against Newcastle. And when United needed a goal, he was left on the bench. It wasn't the first time.

It's becoming clear that Van Gaal doesn't trust him to get a goal when one is needed most, which doesn't bode well for Falcao's hopes of staying beyond the end of the season.

Marouane Fellaini (Loser)

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Marouane Fellaini has done enough this season to work his way back into Van Gaal's long-term plans. He's been a useful asset to bring off the bench and change the game. But chosen to start against Newcastle, he didn't have the same impact. In fact, he barely had any impact at all.

Van Gaal has had some success using the Belgian as a Plan B. But he didn't take the opportunity against Newcastle to show he can be more than that.