1. James Hamon's penalty save.
James Hamon's penalty save to deny Hornchurch skipper Tom Wraight in the 30th minute helped to give the Gulls a platform to claim an important three points which moves them up to second in the National League South table.
At the time that referee Emily Heaslip pointed to the spot, the Gulls led 1-0 thanks to Finley Craske's opener in the 12th minute, after Craske was adjudged to have felled Will Greenidge. However, Hamon correctly guessed the direction of Wraight's spot-kick to preserve United's lead.
Nine minutes later, Matt Carson doubled United's lead to ensure they went in the half time interval with a two-goal cushion, which they wouldn't have had had it not been for Hamon's save.
2. Seven points from a possible nine.
United's win over Hornchurch now means that United have picked up seven points from a possible nine, which includes two matches against fellow promotion chasers in Eastbourne Borough and Worthing.
Their win over the Urchins also means that no one can complete a league 'double' over the Gulls, as Horchurch defeated United 2-1 when the two sides met in Essex last October.
It marks the first time that no one will have beaten the Gulls both home and away in the league since the 2002-03 season, which was Leroy Rosenior's first season in charge at Plainmoor.
3. Finley Craske
Aside from the penalty he conceded, Finley Craske produced a flawless display in United's back three alongside Ed Palmer and Sam Dreyer.
Apart from the goal he scored, which was his second for the club, Craske made a number of important blocks and tackles and won a number of key aerial challenges, following on from the form that he showed in United's previous fixtures against Eastbourne and Worthing. It would also be the first time that he would have played three matches in a week for some time, which makes his performance all the more impressive.
4. Jordan Young.
He might have been on the pitch for under an hour, but Jordan Young was a key creative force for the Gulls.
By the time he was replaced by Omar Mussa on 55 minutes, Young had provided the free-kick, which was flicked on Ed Palmer into the path of Finley Craske for United's opener in the 12th minute. Then on 39 minutes, his cross from the right picked out the onrushing Matt Carson who doubled the Gulls' lead.
Manager Paul Wotton had revealed in the week that Young had been playing whilst only 70% fit, but he performed as well as many would do whilst fully fit.
5. Reinforcements required.
United boss Paul Wotton will no doubt be relieved that the Gulls don't have a midweek fixture between now and next Saturday when they make the journey to Chelmsford City.
By that point, Wotton will have heard the verdict as to whether his appeal against Sam Dreyer's red card against Worthing has been successful or not, so he will know if he will need defensive reinforcements.
He will also, no doubt, be looking for another striker who can ease the workload on centre-forward and leading scorer Cody Cooke, following the injury to Derby County Emmanuel Ilesanmi.
6. Paying tribute to Tony Bedeau.
Before kick off, the Plainmoor faithful joined in two seperate minute's applauses for the memory of Tony Bedeau, who sadly passed away at the age of 45 on Tuesday.
During two spells with the Gulls (1995-2006 & 2007-2008), Bedeau made 374 appearances for United and scored 65 goals, and he would no doubt have been pleased to see Torquay secure a valuable three points.
