Cape Town - Newcastle were unfortunate not to get an early penalty when Chris Smalling brought down Emmanuel Riviere and as the game looked to be heading for a goalless draw until Newcastle keeper Tim Krul booted a clearance straight to Ashley Young who scored in the 89th minute.
Louis van Gaal's post-match comments will be enough to bewilder even the most biased Manchester United fans, who saw their side play at a snail's pace for the duration of the fixture.
Radamel Falcao was an unused subsitute while Angel Di Maria was withdrawn after an ineffective 58 minutes on the pitch.