Manchester United 4-3 Newcastle: Chicharito snatches last-gasp winner to settle seven-goal classic

London: Sir Alex Ferguson`s side had to come from behind three times before snatching the winner right at the death against a spirited Magpies side in a Boxing Day cracker at Old Trafford.

Manchester United came from behind three times to earn a vital 4-3 Premier League win against Newcastle in a Boxing Day cracker at Old Trafford. James Perch gave the visitors a shock early lead but Sir Alex Ferguson`s side were level against the run of play through Jonny Evans midway through the first half. Evans then put the ball in his own in net, in a goal surrounded by controversy, before Patrice Evra once more got United on level terms shortly after the break. Papiss Cisse put the Magpies ahead for the third time in the second half, just moments before Robin van Persie found a third equaliser for the hosts. Finally, Chicharito, who had spurned a number of chances, dramatically gave United the lead right at the death. Sir Alex made five changes to the side which drew at Swansea, with Wayne Rooney the most notable absentee. Chicharito, Phil Jones, Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs all returned to the starting line-up. Alan Pardew, meanwhile, replaced the suspended Cheikh Tiote with Gael Bigirimana, while Sylvain Marveaux came in for Jonas Gutierrez in the only other change. The visitors looked up for it early on and found themselves ahead inside four minutes. Michael Carrick`s miscontrol in midfield allowed Demba Ba to fire a speculative shot at David de Gea and the United shot-stopper could only push the striker`s effort into the path of Perch, who tapped home his first ever Premier League goal. Newcastle continued their bright start, with Cisse and Ba keeping the United`s defence on their toes. Fabricio Coloccini nearly doubled their lead after 20 minutes when he nearly looped a header over De Gea, while the hosts failed to even register a meaningful effort on goal. But the equaliser, against the run of play, eventually came five minutes later when Evans bundled the ball in from six yards after Tim Krul had originally done well to keep out Chicharito from close range. United were only level for a matter of moments as the Magpies regained the lead four minutes later with a highly controversial goal. Danny Simpson had his shot deflected into his own net by Evans but it was disallowed for offside, with Cisse judged to have been in an active position. However, referee Mike Dean reversed the decision after consulting with his assistant. It could have been even worse for United going in at half-time, Marveaux rattling the crossbar just before the break with a superbly struck left-footed free kick.