45+3 mins With half-time just seconds away, Jamaal Lascelles sliced a clearance out for a throw in front of the away contingent. Matty Cash took an age to dry the ball before delivering another long throw into the box.

This time Tyrone Mings managed to flick it on and Danny Ings hit an unstoppable bicycle kick into the far corner with Freddie Woodman motionless. TV replays showed that Fabian Schar ducked out of the way of Ings' shot, rather than take one in the face.

For those querying a Cash foul throw meanwhile, the tosser's feet do not have to be behind the line. The rule is (and has been for decades), it is only a foul throw if the whole of one or both feet are on the pitch. In other words, both feet can be on the pitch if only the heels are touching the line. It looks wrong and will always get shouts from the crowd but them's the rules. 0-1

Half time: Villans 1 Magpies 0

62 mins John McGinn whipped in a dangerous free-kick from the left that was nodded back across goal by Ezri Konsa to where Mings headed the ball towards the net.

That attempt looked to be successfully blocked and then cleared before Callum Wilson was bundled over in the box and fell on the ball but managed to clear. Out of the blue, an announcement for a VAR penalty check for a possible handball took everyone by surprise.

Initially Wilson fell on the ball and handled it which appeared to be the incident in question but then after Coote checked the monitor and gave the penalty, the block from Mings' header was shown on the big screen and the VAR decision was accompanied by text "handball by Lascelles."

The replay does show the ball hitting Lascelles' outstretched arm and these days, that is always going to be given on review despite no-one appealing at the time.

Any hopes that penalty-save specialist Woodman would block Anwar El-Ghazi's kick soon disappeared as he dived to his left, the ball going into the opposite corner of the Holte End goal. 0-2

75 mins Joe Willock played the ball forward for Wilson to run onto and touch the ball in the box before being flattened by Emiliano Martinez. Referee Coote immediately awarded the penalty and yellow carded the goalkeeper.

The penalty award meant it wasn't a red for the denying of a goalscoring opportunity, although such was the near-decapitation of United's number 9, that a straight red could easily have been given.

Once again a VAR review seemed to catch everyone present by surprise with an initial presumption that the check was for contact inside the box, which  seemed beyond doubt.

The length of time taken suggested it was going to be overturned and the decision of offside was announced. The still image of Wilson being marginally offside appeared briefly with lines drawn on it and after seeing it Wilson remonstrated with Coote to no avail.

The Sky highlights show Wilson beyond Mings but it was Konsa who was even closer to playing Wilson onside, lines being taken from armpits and toes to put the no.9 an inch offside.

Had the video been paused a frame either side, it may have seen different lines drawn and marginal decisions like these were supposed to go in the forward's favour this season. Apparently not for VAR official, Jarred Gillett.

Full time: Villans 2 Magpies 0

Dean Smith said:

"We felt they would be a threat certainly with the pace they had. They put some balls behind us and we had to deal with that really well.

"We got away with one when Wilson went through early on. I thought there were two fouls in it, being honest, before that."

About Ings' goal: 

"He scored a 20-yarder into the top corner against us last season, we know the type of goals he can score! It's a super finish, and one that'll be in the list for the goal of the season, and it's only the second game. It didn't look like the deadlock was going to get broken, until that happened.

"It's why we brought Danny in. I know what Ollie (Watkins) can do, he stretches defences, Danny is a different type of player. I thought he played as a lone striker today in a different way that Ollie does, but I'm excited to see them together. I believe, and that's why I brought Danny in, that they can really complement each other.

"The fans have waited a long time to be back, and the noise levels were up there. I thought it was an OK performance but a great result."