A week on from the mild booing that greeted the final whistle of a 1-1 home draw with Aston Villa, St. James' Park rose to applaud a single goal defeat that left United in the relegation places.

Senseless though that gesture may have seemed, it was deserved in the context of a team that strained every sinew in their attempts to get something from this match and looked to have won a point that extended their unbeaten run to a seasonal best four games - until added time that is.... 

Tom Cleverley speculative header delivered a knockout blow with just seconds of added time remaining to punish a Magpies side who should have been ahead - Aleksandar Mitrovic having emulated Siem de Jong's Villa miss by missing a golden chance to score in either half.

The more glaring of the two opportunities came on 72 minutes, when the move of the match from Newcastle saw the Serbian meet Moussa Sissoko's centre from the left but head agonisingly wide of Tim Howard's goal. 

At that point it looked to be another one of those days for Steve McClaren, but worse was to follow after a vital saving interception from Chancel Mbemba denied Romelu Lukaku in added time at the expense of a corner that seemed almost an afterthought. Big mistake.  

And once again that failure to find the net proved crucial as United were punished when a last minute corner was cleared as far as Cleverley who nodded the ball into the unguarded goal.

The visitors had dominated possession but United created and missed the best chances, with Gini Wijnaldum's header cleared off the line by Howard.

Conditions weren't ideal with heavy pre-match rain making the playing surface difficult and both sides slipped and slid around at times - although there was never any risk of a postponement or abandonment. The rain began only 24 hours before kickoff, meaning that the pitch was less saturated and sliding tackles didn't generate the bow waves evident in the Villa game.

Everton settled the quicker of the two sides and from the kick-off they kept possession while the Magpies failed to hold onto the ball for any meaningful length of time, prompting thoughts that a repeat of their 0-4 Boxing Day victory here in 1986 could be in store. 

Not for the first time though, the hustle and bustle of Martinez's side didn't translate into goals and Rob Elliot wasn't massively stretched, blocking Kevin Mirallas with his legs after seven minutes.

Mitrovic had a great chance to break the deadlock in the 25th minute when Daryl Janmaat picked him out with a cross from the right, but the ball skimming harmlessly wide off his head - another demonstration of his aerial weakness (both in direction and jumping prowess).

Ayoze Perez came close to getting on the end of a Mitrovic flick but the ball just eluded him and Wijnaldum headed wide as half-time approached. Janmaat was a touch fortunate not to see a second yellow after pushing over Ross Barkley although it would have been another senseless sending off, similar to his dismissal at Swansea earlier this season.

After the break, United matched their opponents better and although there were chances at both ends, Elliot made excellent saves from Romelu Lukaku and Aaron Lennon to keep it goalless.

Perez took down a ball expertly and then fired narrowly wide but then came Mitrovic's moment of glory that he was unable to convert. Some fine build-up play saw Moussa Sissoko in space down the left and when he chipped in a cross Mitrovic met it at speed but headed wide with Howard helpless.

Wijnaldum then got his effort on target but Howard beat the ball away and as added time arrived, it seemed as if the game would end all-square. But Cleverley's looping header found the back of the Gallowgate goal and there was barely time to kick-off before Mason blew for time, leaving the despairing Newcastle players spread-eagled on the pitch in the manner of beaten cup finalists. 

McClaren rightly looked as gutted as those players, but kept to his ritual of walking on to the field and applauding the home fans. What seemed perfectly evident though was that his side lacked for nothing in effort, but came up short in accuracy and talent. Having restored the heart to the side, it's doubtful whether he can get anything more from this squad as it stands. Over to you Mr Carr.

Biffa