Newcastle United vs Manchester United; 5 Key Talking Points

#4 Why is Jose Mourinho persisting with Chris Smalling?

This picture tells you so much, doesn't it?

Victor Lindelof must be wondering just what he has to do to get a kick in the Premier League. Distrusted in the league ever since his catastrophic showing against Huddersfield, the Swede - who has actually improved since then - continues to sit as Mourinho insists on playing Chris Smalling and Phil Jones together.

As was evident against Tottenham, even the least bit of pressure on those two when they are in possession can lead to chaos in and around the United box, and that's exactly what Benitez set his side - and his two forwards Ayoze Perez and Dwight Gayle - to do. It worked.

While Jones was decent, Smalling was anything but. Lucky not to have given away a penalty with a senseless lunge on Gayle at the edge of the box, a dive from him - inside his own half- led to the freekick from which Newcastle scored. And he could barely play a five-yard pass - somehow his passing, never his strongest suit, has actually become worse.

It really is time Mourinho stopped trusting this duo. Especially Smalling.