Two early goals from Newcastle were enough to condemn Manchester United to a fourth straight defeat under Ruben Amorim.
Alexander Isak and Joelinton broke through the Red Devils’ backline in the opening stages to set up a rare win for the Magpies at Old Trafford. United rallied in the second half, but Newcastle managed to maintain their lead without much trouble,
Chelsea’s defeat at Ipswich means Newcastle are now just three points behind the Blues in fourth, while United remain in 14th ahead of a daunting visit to Anfield next Sunday.
How the match unfolded
Newcastle came into Monday night’s contest in top scoring form and Amorim’s side would only encourage the Magpies. The visitors had their way with United from the outset, with the midfield triumvirate of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton overpowering the Red Devils’ veteran pairing of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in every way imaginable.
It took the in-form visitors less than four minutes to open the scoring as Alexander Isak continued his impressive run of headers with a wicked cross from Lewis Hall. The Swede was unchallenged as he finished from close range and Lisandro Martinez – United’s captain on the night – opted against the Newcastle striker.
The Argentinian was at least able to compete with the onrushing Joelinton when he tried to head home Anthony Gordon’s cross, but Martinez was in no position to win the tackle and although the ball appeared to go through Joelinton’s hand, VAR ruled against intervention and Newcastle were two goals to the good. within 19 minutes.
It was one-way traffic and it should have been worse for Amorim’s side before the manager decided to switch tactics and bring on Kobbie Mainoo for Joshua Zirkzee after 30 minutes. The Dutchman’s departure was met with huge cheers around Old Trafford that seemed harsh on the summer arrival – even if he started the game poorly.
The change at least helped United stem the flow and they had their first positive moment in attack soon after the introduction of Mainoo. Ramsus Hojlund, however, put his effort just wide after catching Martinez’s pass from behind.
Casemiro then spurned a great chance on the stroke of half-time after a poor delivery from Fabian Schar. The Brazilian opted for the first goal from Mainoo’s pass, but his effort was harmlessly wide despite having all the time in the world to convert.
There was sustained improvement from Amorim’s side after the break, with Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt the next pair for the Red Devils to come so close to halving the deficit before the hour mark.
Substitute Leny Yoro was the next United centre-half to have a look at goal, but the young Frenchman headed wide of Eriksen’s corner. It was the last moment of note in either box, with Newcastle failing but not to test Andre Onana in the second half. There was focus on Marcus Rashford, who returned to Amorim’s squad, but the Englishman did not take the field on Monday night as United suffered a fourth straight defeat.
This was always going to be a difficult task for United given the vulnerabilities that have continued to manifest under new management, but Amorim’s midfield selection has set the Red Devils up for failure.
The Portuguese manager was without suspended duo Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte which meant his options were limited, but his decision to deploy veteran duo Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in midfield contributed greatly to their dreadful start on Monday night.
There were a myriad of problems, but Newcastle’s congestion in the middle of the park was the most glaring. The trio of Guimaraes, Tonali and Joelinton have been spinning in recent weeks, and here they ran the show for the first 30 minutes. United’s aging squad was persistently stretched and relentlessly overworked. The pair must have looked on with envy at Newcastle’s technicians who seamlessly coalesced around them before feeding the likes of Isak and Gordon to torment a fragile backline.
“Remember when we could do that, old friend?”
Newcastle’s dominance forced Amorim into an apparent change 30 minutes later and Joshua Zirkzee’s withdrawal led to a rather ugly sequence that included general cheering and a reportedly tearful (and humiliated) Dutchman being dragged down the tunnel.
Kobbie Mainoo was not solely responsible for United’s progress after entering the fray, but United could at least compete for the remaining hour.
It seems like a litany of teams have ended fruitless runs at the Theater of Dreams in recent years. This was once an amphitheater feared across the division, but sides have enjoyed trips to Old Trafford over the past decade.
Newcastle, however, have continued to struggle in the red half of Manchester since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. Ahead of Monday’s game, the Magpies had won just one of their previous 39 away games at United’s home ground. Their last win came in December 2013 when Yohan Cabaye scored the only goal of the game to win against David Moyes’ Red Devils.
There was a feeling that Howe’s side, given the way they had played over the past month, were well on their way to triumphing at Old Trafford for the third time in the league since 1972. Such projections were justified at first and seemed to be quickly edged past their hosts but were forced to dig in at times during the second half to secure a rare win.
Chelsea are suddenly just three points ahead of Howe’s side in fourth place.
There has been plenty of discourse surrounding Isaac’s Newcastle future in recent months, with reports suggesting a return to the Champions League could be necessary for the Magpies to keep hold of their superstar striker in 2025.
Isak is certainly doing everything in his power to get the Magpies back into Europe’s premier club competition after they were knocked out at the group stage in their previous venture two seasons ago.
It took the Swede less than four minutes to score for his sixth successive Premier League appearance, after heading home Hall’s cross with aplomb. He was denied a second later in the first half for offside, but the finish was still brilliant and a display of his current form.
At the Theater of Dreams, Isak once again proved that he is much more than just a shooter. United’s back line could do little to keep up with his forays into withdrawn forward positions and drifts into wide areas, and were even more helpless when Isak received possession. He was able to constantly pass by optimistic challengers, which opened up the hosts’ defensive structure.
There is no better striker in the Premier League going into 2025.
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