Sean Dyche:

"It was a tight affair, some good quality from us, a fantastic mentality from us I thought as we were 1-0 up at half-time and then they score a really horrible goal because of us, a scruffy goal from our point of view.

"And that can change the feel of it, and it did for an initial spell, but we then calmed it down and got a foothold in the game again and overall I was really pleased with the players.

"They had a lot of injuries, and only Cabella, Riviere and Taylor came on at half-time! And I’d like to have that depth of squad with those boys coming on. And they had an effect on the game and picked them up.

"But like I said, we gave them a lifeline with a really poor goal from our point of view, a scruffy goal, but overall we are making great strides, you know.

"There has been a lot made of our style, but you look at the tinge of disappointment against Aston Villa, a very good side, and a tinge of disappointment against Newcastle too tonight, and let’s face it a very good side too on very good form, despite their blip on the weekend, then very good signs for us again.

"I do not think that we have been lacking any belief all season, but sometimes you need the rub of the green, or you need a chance to go your way, and maybe we did not have that at the start of the season.

"And we had to earn our right to get those points and those goals, and I think we are now doing that and we had some real big individual performances again tonight.

"The table is what it is, we just focus on performances, because we know that if we get those right, then we get wins, and if we get plenty of wins then you know you are okay."
 

A chilly Tuesday night in Lancashire ultimately left both sets of fans with some sort of cold comfort after a game of two halves for United, thankfully improving on a tepid first half performance that was a dispiriting continuation of Saturday's display against another team clad in claret and blue. A casual observer may well have struggled to recognise that this was actually a top-flight fixture.

The first-ever Premier League clash between the sides ended all square thanks to an equaliser from Papiss Cisse that prevented back to back losses. However, neither side really did enough to justify claiming maximum points, Burnley seemingly uncertain of whether to stick or twist once ahead. 

For Newcastle, the game only really came to life following the arrival of Remy Cabella at half time - an alteration that provided a welcome injection of pace and invention to a side who were without suspended midfield pair Moussa Sissoko and Jack Colback but welcomed back Mehdi Abeid (which really does beg the question just what future - if any - Vurnon Anita has at this football club).

Until that point neither goalkeeper had been seriously tested, although Sammy Ameobi and Abeid had both warmed Tom Heaton's hands. However, the under-employed Rob Elliot was once again denied a clean sheet when George Boyd gave the Clarets an unexpected lead just after the half hour mark.

Despite concerns about the fitness of more players, United started with nine of the eleven selected for duty at West Ham on Saturday. It soon became evident though that Mike Williamson was less than 100% mobile and having been booked, made way by Steven Taylor at half time.

As Cabella's simultaneous appearance boosted the attack, Taylor's return made a similarly sizeable impact on a defence that had look unsettled and vulnerable, missing the presence of Fabricio Coloccini (who was watching from the stand along with fellow countryman Facundo Ferreyra).

In truth, the game was effectively over at 1-1, with an injury that saw Stephen Ward stretchered off just after the hour mark affecting United's forward momentum. He went down after a sharp turn deep in his own half, but any contact from Gouffran seemed minimal. After what seemed an eternity, the stretcher party made leisurely progress across the field before removing the stricken player.

And just Newcastle looked set to build up another head of steam, Sammy Ameobi found himself unable to continue and made way for Emmanuel Riviere on 75 minutes - necessitating yet another alteration to our forward formation. Sammy put in a good shift down the left flank with he, Cabella and Massadio Haidara linking up well until Sammy signaled to the bench that he was fettled.

A few half chances aside, the rest of the game passed by without any major scares at either end and the point left United sitting tenth in the table and Burnley outside the bottom three. Spurs' 0-3 defeat at Chelsea and Hull's point at Everton the following evening then meant that the Magpies moved back up to ninth while Sean Dyche's mob slipped back into the bottom three.

United have now lost just four times in 14 League outings this season despite ongoing selection issues - form that can be described as steady but not startling, a bit like tonight's performance. 

And while a point against Burnley doesn't seem particularly exciting, the scoreline extended their unbeaten sequence to four games during which they've started to marry results to solid displays that make them less of a pushover than they may seem at first glance. 

This was the archetypal cold night up north that people have in mind when asserting that imported players "won't fancy it" in England but that wasn't evident among a squad where the summer arrivals are finding their feet. Janmaat collected another assist, while Cabella in particular looked eager to make an impact on his fourteenth appearance for the club in all competitions (eight starts). If anyone looked out of place, it was our Spanish forward, but he's entitled to have a few off days as he adjusts to life in a different country, never mind football.   

The indifferent performances of messrs Tiote and Cisse (apart from the goal) suggest that their loss next month for the African Cup of Nations Finals may not be felt as keenly as one might have first thought - on current form, Abeid's absence at the same competition with Algeria may be felt more than the enigmatic Ivorian, who presumably still sees his future being away from Tyneside.

Deviating from the first-choice XI has paid dividends for Alan Pardew, with squad rotation forced upon him by circumstance strengthening his side more often than weakening it. That's testament to the positive attitude of his players, with an opening now arising for Riviere to make his mark and prove whether he can be combined effectively with Perez.

Biffa