Manchester United kept within 10 points of league leaders Chelsea with a 3-1 Boxing Day victory over Newcastle United at Old Trafford this afternoon.

The visitors started brightly, but fell behind midway through the first half when Wayne Rooney slotted home from close range.

The England captain then doubled Man Utd's lead in the 36th minute before setting up the third for Robin van Persie that killed the game off.

Papiss Cisse scored a late consolation from the penalty spot for Newcastle, who have lost four games in a row.

Here, Sports Mole picks apart the 90 minutes in a rainy North-West.

Match statistics

MAN UTD
Shots: 9
On target: 4
Possession: 62%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 16

NEWCASTLE
Shots: 8
On target: 4
Possession: 38%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 9

Was the result fair?

Oh yes. The above stats actually make the game look quite close, but barring a bright start from Newcastle, it was largely all Man Utd. The hosts can count themselves a little lucky that they didn't have to face an early penalty, but they were clinical in attack. Rooney will grab the headlines, but there were encouraging performances from many others. Newcastle boss Alan Pardew will no doubt talk about that penalty decision, but his players' mentality was the main reason for the defeat.

Man Utd's performance

A seventh win in eight games for Louis van Gaal's side as they strengthen their place in the top four. They started with plenty of the ball, but looked ever so shaky at the back as Newcastle countered at will in the opening quarter of an hour. They were fortunate not to be behind, but for more than three quarters of the game they looked far superior.

Rooney's well-taken double before half time is what will linger, but it was Radamel Falcao who deserved more of the plaudits. His cut-back on the slide for Rooney's first was harder than it might have first looked and he then won the ball back with Newcastle out of shape for the second. With Van Persie also scoring, Man Utd's dream frontline is on top form at the moment.

Elsewhere, makeshift wing-backs Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young continue to thrive in a new role, while the defence's overall workload eased after Rooney's 13-minute double. Comfortable enough, and Van Gaal giving the squad Christmas Day completely off didn't have a negative effect.

Newcastle's performance

Four defeats in a row in all competitions, three of which have been in the Premier League, for Pardew's side. They have conceded four in two of those and three today even with a near full-strength backline. Pardew has a right to be angry about not getting a penalty when Juan Mata clipped Yoan Gouffran's heels in the box, but the one spot kick they did get was a little soft.

The game was over by that stage, though, and not being able to score in the opening 20 minutes when they were the better side is what resulted in their downfall. Rooney's opener was against the run of play and they never recovered. All three goals will be viewed as extremely avoidable by Pardew, with the second and third particularly poor from a defensive point of view.

One positive was the tireless work of Ayoze Perez and the odd bright moment from 17-year-old Adam Armstrong, who made his first Premier League start.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Wayne Rooney: A clear winner after his two coolly-taken goals and perfectly-weighted pass for the third. He almost had a hat-trick when a 20-yard free kick beat the crossbar by an inch or so. He certainly seems to be enjoying the deep-lying midfield role behind Van Persie and Falcao.

Biggest gaffe

During Newcastle's bright start to the game, Armstrong did really well to dig the ball into the middle just before the ball was about to go out of play, giving Perez a clear sight of goal. The ball was bouncing in front of him and he attempted an acrobatic bicycle attempt and got it all wrong.

Referee performance

Mike Jones had one of the poorest games by a referee this season. The penalty that Newcastle didn't has already been mentioned, but he also made a number of other wrong decisions. One came in the build-up to the opener when he failed to award Man Utd a free kick, with the play going on and eventually allowing the hosts to break in numbers because Newcastle were allowed to continue.

What next?

Man Utd: The busy festive period is at its most brutal this week as United travel South to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday before a trip to Stoke City on New Year's Day.

Newcastle: While Man Utd have two away games on the horizon, Newcastle now have two games at St James' Park with visits from Everton and Burnley on Sunday and Thursday respectively.