Manchester United suffered a second straight Premier League away defeat on Sunday as they lost 2-0 to Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.
The away side were on the back foot early on as Newcastle took control of the midfield, and it wasn’t long before David De Gea was required when first denying Alexander Isak‘s header before getting in the way of Joe Willock‘s follow-up.
Marcus Rashford struggled to make an impact from the left against Kieran Trippier, and it was a similar story for Antony, who was ineffective against Dan Burn on the opposite flank. The Magpies created another big chance before the break as Willock flashed over from a cut-back in a half in which Erik ten Hag’s side were fortunate to go into the interval with the score level.
Changes at the break saw Scott McTominay deployed in a deeper role, but despite early indications that the storm was beginning to calm, it was third time lucky for Willock, who capped off a move in the 66th minute by heading past De Gea from close range. The Red Devils attempted to get back into the game late on with Ten Hag’s triple substitution in the 83rd minute withdrawing both Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, but Newcastle sealed all three points just five minutes later when Callum Wilson doubled the lead with an unchallenged header from Trippier’s free kick.
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Positives
Strong performances from De Gea and Martinez were subtle positive factors on an overall disappointing match. Jadon Sancho also looked bright when brought on.
Negatives
Too many chances conceded made it inevitable that Manchester United would lose this game. Defending has to be much better if they are to hold on to their place in the top four, particularly with picking up runners from midfield.
Manager rating out of 10
5 — Ten Hag corrected an early flaw in his game plan to move McTominay back into a deeper role after the break, and showed intent with his substitutions, but Newcastle had the better of the away side overall.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK David De Gea, 7 — A strong double save in the first half denied Isak and then Willock, with the away side having De Gea to thank for going in at half-time with the game level. Couldn’t do anything about the two close-range headers that beat him.
DF Luke Shaw, 5 — Enjoyed a better second half after early struggles, when Newcastle had success down the Red Devils’ left flank, although some questionable elements in his decision-making remained.
DF Lisandro Martinez, 7 — Aggressive on the tackle and quick to shut down the danger to make chances as difficult as possible for forwards. Showed good anticipation by getting in the way of efforts from range, in a standout display in Manchester United’s back four.
DF Raphael Varane, 6 — Patient with his defending and kept composed despite not making any mistakes across the 90 minutes. Sometimes allowed the opposition too much time to turn and shoot when backing off.
DF Diogo Dalot, 4 — The right-back got into some promising positions but his overall impact in forward areas wasn’t enough. Avoided challenging Allan Saint-Maximin in isolated situations and waited for Antony to get back and assist.
MF Marcel Sabitzer, 4 — The Austria international was quiet until Manchester United were 1-0 down, where he was unlocked and able to impact the game from further up the pitch, although that spell didn’t last long as Newcastle soon took back control of the game. A largely ineffective display overall.
MF Scott McTominay, 4 — Pressed high to try to stop Bruno Guimaraes from impacting the gam,e but the Magpies continued to dictate the midfield battle. Poor defensively when failing to prevent Newcastle runners from getting into dangerous positions. Fared slightly better in the second half when placed into a deeper role.
MF Marcus Rashford, 3 — A poor first half saw him frustrated in attacking phases on both sides of the pitch, and he didn’t offer much after the restart either. One of his worst performances of the season.
MF Bruno Fernandes, 5 — Drifted in and out of the game in spells but was involved in Manchester United’s few positive spells of attacking play.
MF Antony, 4 — Antony struggled in his battle with Burn, who frustrated him early on, and the winger was unable to turn the tables before he was eventually replaced by Sancho after the hour mark.
FW Wout Weghorst, 3 — Flashed a shot into the side netting early on and faded out of the game. The Netherlands international simply couldn’t get on the ball at St. James’ Park.
Substitutes
FW Anthony Martial, 6 — The 27-year-old’s pace provided a better threat in behind for Ten Hag’s side. Unlucky with a left-footed effort that was deflected for a corner.
MF Jadon Sancho, 7 — Bright when introduced with consistent decision-making that often helped move his side into positive areas. Confident in isolated situations and made impressive runs off the ball for his teammates.
MF Fred, N/R — Introduced for McTominay in the 83rd minute.
DF Victor Lindelof , N/R — United conceded just minutes after his introduction, with Lindelof unable to close the distance to challenge Wilson’s header.
MF Facundo Pellistri, N/R — On for Martinez in an attacking switch, but the game was soon out of reach.