Two early goals at Newcastle were enough to condemn Manchester United to a fourth straight defeat under Ruben Amorim.
Alexander Isak and Joelinton tore through the Red Devils backline in the early stages to set one up rare win for the Magpies at Old Trafford. United bounced back in the second half, but Newcastle were able to hold on to their lead without much fuss.
Chelsea’s defeat at Ipswich means Newcastle are now just three points off the Blues in fourth, while United remain in 14th ahead of a daunting trip to Anfield next Sunday.
How the game developed
Newcastle went into Monday night’s contest in supreme scoring form, and Amorim’s team selection would only have boosted the Magpies. The visitors had their way with United from the outset, with a midfield triumvirate of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton overwhelming the Red Devils’ veteran pairing of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in every way imaginable.
It took less than four minutes for the in-form visitors to open the scoring as Alexander Isak continued his impressive goalscoring run by heading home Lewis Hall’s poor delivery. The Swede was unchallenged as he finished from close range, with Lisandro MartÃnez – United’s captain on the night – opting to challenge the Newcastle striker.
The Argentine was at least able to compete with a Joelinton who attempted to convert Anthony Gordon’s cross, but MartÃnez was in no position to win the duel and, although the ball appeared to go through Joelinton’s arm, the VAR he opted for intervention and Newcastle stayed. two goals to the good in 19 minutes.
It was one-way traffic and it should have been worse for Amorim’s side before the manager decided to change course and bring on Kobbie Mainoo for Joshua Zirkzee after 30 minutes. The Dutchman’s departure was greeted by widespread cheers at Old Trafford, which looked harsh as the summer arrived, despite his poor start to the game.
The change at least helped United stem the flow and they had their first positive moment in attack shortly after Mainoo’s introduction. Ramsus Hojlund, however, put his effort wide after latching on to Martinez’s pass from behind.
Casemiro then spurned a golden chance on the stroke of half-time after a woeful Fabian Schar free. The Brazilian opted for an early lead from Mainoo’s pass, but his effort curled 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 Red Devils pair to go close to halving their deficit before the hour mark marked
Substitute Leny Yoro was the next United centre-half to see a goal, but the young Frenchman headed home from Eriksen’s corner. That was the last highlight in either frame, with Newcastle missing but needlessly testing Andre Onana in the second half. There was some focus on Marcus Rashford, who returned to Amorim’s squad, but the Englishman did not take the field on Monday night as United slumped to a fourth straight defeat.
This was always going to be a difficult task for United given the vulnerabilities they have continued to display under new management, but Amorim’s midfield selection led to the Red Devils’ failure.
The Portuguese manager was without suspended duo Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte, meaning he had limited options, but his decision to start veteran duo Casemiro and Christian Eriksen at center back was a major contributor to his dreadful start on Monday at night
There were a myriad of problems, but Newcastle’s overload in the middle of the park was the clearest. The trio of Guimaraes, Tonali and Joelinton have been purring for the past few weeks, and they ran the show in the first 30 minutes here. United’s aging pivot was constantly stretched and overwhelmed relentlessly. The pair must have watched with envy as Newcastle’s men combined seamlessly around them before feeding the likes of Isak and Gordon to torment a fragile backline.
“Remember when we could, old friend?”
Newcastle’s dominance forced Amorim into an obvious change after 30 minutes, and Joshua Zirkzee’s withdrawal led to a rather ugly sequence that included widespread applause and a supposedly tearful (and humiliated) Dutchman walking 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 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. Before Monday’s game, the Magpies had won just one of their previous 39 trips to United’s home. Their last win came in December 2013 when Yohan Cabaye scored the only goal of the game to defeat David Moyes’ Red Devils.
There was a feeling that Howe’s side, given their performance over the past month, were well-placed to triumph at Old Trafford for the third time in the league since 1972. Those projections were justified from the early and it looked as though the D’s outplayed their hosts, but they were forced to dig in at times in the second half to secure a rare victory.
Suddenly, Chelsea are just three points clear of Howe’s side in fourth.
Much has been made of Isak’s future at Newcastle in recent months, with reports suggesting a return to the Champions League may be necessary for the Magpies to retain their superstar striker in 2025.
Isak is certainly doing everything in his power to return the Magpies to Europe’s top club competition after a group stage exit at his previous firm two seasons ago.
It took less than four minutes for the Swede to score for a sixth consecutive Premier League start when he headed Hall’s cross with aplomb. He was denied a second later in the first half for offside, but the finish was nonetheless brilliant and representative of his current form.
Isak once again proved at the Teatro dels Somnis that he is much more than just a goalscorer. United’s backline could do little to track their forays into withdrawn forward positions and drifts into wide areas, and they were left even more helpless when Isak was awarded possession. He was able to consistently slip past optimistic opponents, which opened up the hosts’ defensive structure.
There is no better striker in the Premier League going into 2025.
