Two early Newcastle goals were enough to condemn Manchester United to a fourth-straight defeat under Ruben Amorim.
Alexander Isak and Joelinton breached the Red Devils’ backline in the opening stages to set up a rare victory for the Magpies at Old Trafford. United staged a recovery in the second half, but Newcastle were able to hold onto their advantage without much fuss,
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 trip to Anfield next Sunday.
How the game unfolded
Newcastle entered Monday night’s contest in supreme scoring form, and Amorim’s team selection would’ve only emboldened the Magpies. The visitors had their way with United from the get-go, with a midfield triumvirate of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton overwhelming the Red Devils’ veteran pair of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in every way imaginable.
It took the in-form guests less than four minutes to open the scoring as Alexander Isak continued his impressive scoring run by heading home Lewis Hall’s wicked delivery. The Swede was uncontested as he finished from close range, with Lisandro Martinez – United’s captain on the night – opting against challenging the Newcastle striker.
The Argentine was able to at least compete with an onrushing Joelinton when he attempted to convert Anthony Gordon’s cross, but Martinez was in no position to win the duel and although the ball seemed to go in via Joelinton’s arm, VAR opted against intervention and Newcastle were two goals to the good within 19 minutes.
This was one-way traffic and it should’ve been worse for Amorim’s side before the manager decided to change tack and introduce Kobbie Mainoo for Joshua Zirkzee after the 30-minute mark. The Dutchman’s exit was greeted by widespread cheers around Old Trafford which seemed harsh on the summer arrival – even if he’d started the game poorly.
The change did at least help United stem the flow and they had their first positive moment in attack soon after Mainoo’s introduction. Ramsus Hojlund, however, placed his effort just wide after latching onto Martinez’s pass in behind.
Casemiro then spurned a gilt-edge chance on the stroke of half-time after a woeful Fabian Schar giveaway. The Brazilian opted for a first-time finish from Mainoo’s pass, but his effort curled harmlessly wide despite having all the time in the world to convert.
There was a sustained improvement from Amorim’s side after the interval, with Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt the next pair of Red Devils to come ever so close to halving their deficit before the hour mark.
Substitute Leny Yoro was the next United centre-half to have a sight of goal, but the young Frenchman headed just wide from Eriksen’s outswinging corner. That was the last notable moment in either box, with Newcastle failing but not needing to test Andre Onana in the second half. There was some focus on Marcus Rashford, who returned to Amorim’s squad, but the Englishman didn’t take to the field on Monday night as United fell to a fourth-straight defeat.
This was always going to be a difficult task for United given the vulnerabilities they’ve continued to manifest under new management, but Amorim’s midfield selection set the Red Devils up for failure.
The Portuguese coach was without suspended duo Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte which meant he had limited options, but his decision to start veteran duo Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in the pivot was a major contributor to their terrible start on Monday night.
There were a myriad of issues, but Newcastle’s overload in the middle of the park was the most distinct. The trio of Guimaraes, Tonali and Joelinton has purred in recent weeks, and they ran the show in the opening 30 minutes here. United’s ageing pivot was persistently stretched and relentlessly overwhelmed. The pair must’ve looked on in envy as Newcastle’s technicians seamlessly combined around them before feeding the likes of Isak and Gordon to torment a frail backline.
“Remember when we could do that, old pal?”
Newcastle’s supremacy forced Amorim into an obvious change 30 minutes in, and Joshua Zirkzee’s withdrawal led to a rather ugly sequence involving widespread cheers and a reportedly teary (and humiliated) Dutchman trudging down the tunnel.
Kobbie Mainoo wasn’t solely responsible for United’s improvement once he entered the fray, but United were at least able to compete for the remaining hour.
It seems like a litany of teams have ended barren runs at the Theatre of Dreams in recent years. This was once an amphitheatre feared by the entirety of the division, but sides have relished trips to Old Trafford for the past decade.
Newcastle, however, have continued to struggle in the red half of Manchester since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. Ahead of Monday’s game, the Magpies had won on just one of their previous 39 trips to United’s home ground. Their last victory arrived in December 2013 when Yohan Cabaye scored the game’s only goal to down David Moyes’ Red Devils.
There was a sense that Howe’s side, given how they’ve performed over the past month, were well set to triumph at Old Trafford for the third time in the league since 1972. Such projections were justified early on and it seemed as if they’d blitz past their hosts, but they were forced to dig in at times during the second half to ensure they claimed a rare victory.
Chelsea are suddenly just three points better off than Howe’s outfit in fourth.
There’s been plenty of discourse surrounding Isak’s Newcastle future in recent months, with reports suggesting that a return to the Champions League may be required for the Magpies to retain their superstar forward in 2025.
Isak is certainly doing everything in his power to return the Magpies to Europe’s premier club competition after they exited at the group stage on their previous venture two seasons ago.
It took the Swede less than four minutes to score for the sixth consecutive Premier League outing as he headed home Hall’s cross with aplomb. He was denied a second later in the first half for offside, but the finish was nonetheless brilliant and a depiction of his current form.
Isak once again proved at the Theatre of Dreams that he’s far more than a mere goalscorer. There was little the United backline could do to track his forays into withdrawn forward positions and drifts into wide areas, and they were even more helpless when Isak received possession. He was able to glide past optimistic challengers constantly which opened up the hosts’ defensive structure.
There’s not a better striker in the Premier League entering 2025.