Newcastle vs Manchester United Review
Newcastle climbed to fourth place in the Premier League and achieved their first league double over Manchester United since the 1930/31 season with a convincing 4-1 win at St James’ Park. The rebuilding effort at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim has been challenging, especially after André Onana’s mistakes during Thursday’s match against Lyon drew negative attention. Altay Bayındır made his Premier League debut in goal, but he was beaten early on when Joelinton scored from Kieran Trippier’s cross, which was initially ruled offside.
Newcastle eventually broke the deadlock in the 24th minute with a beautifully executed play finished by Sandro Tonali. Trippier found Alexander Isak at the edge of the box, and Isak delivered a perfect lofted pass to Tonali, who struck a brilliant first-time shot past Bayındır. The Magpies had more opportunities through Tonali and Isak, but surprisingly, it was Manchester United who scored next, with Alejandro Garnacho finding the net. Diogo Dalot made a strong run and set up Garnacho, who finished clinically with a side-footed shot past Nick Pope.
The Magpies quickly regained their lead after halftime when Tino Livramento’s cross reached Jacob Murphy, who set up Harvey Barnes to score Newcastle’s second goal. Amorim faced another setback shortly after, as Joshua Zirkzee had to leave the game due to a suspected hamstring injury, prompting a triple substitution that brought on Rasmus Højlund, Patrick Dorgu, and Mason Mount. However, any chance of a comeback for the Red Devils was dashed when Barnes outmuscled Noussair Mazraoui, charged into the penalty area, and fired an unstoppable shot past Bayındır.
This goal highlighted the visitors’ defensive weaknesses, with Barnes becoming only the second Magpies player to score two goals against Man United in the Premier League era, following Alan Shearer. The goalkeeper situation in Amorim’s team seems problematic, as Bayındır made a significant error by playing a short clearance directly to Joelinton, who then headed the ball to Bruno Guimarães, allowing him to score Newcastle’s fourth goal.
This season will be unforgettable for Eddie Howe’s team, as they achieved their fifth consecutive victory in all competitions and are on track to reintroduce UEFA Champions League football to Tyneside next season. On the other hand, it was another disappointing day for the Red Devils in what has been a dreadful season, ensuring they will finish with their lowest points total in Premier League history. Even if Amorim’s squad were to win all six of their remaining matches, they would only reach 56 points, which is two points less than their previous record low from the 2021/22 season.
