Manchester United fell to a 4-1 mauling at Newcastle United, who trampled Ruben Amorim’s men into dust in a second-half demolition job. The Red Devils went behind but managed to pull one back to go in at half-time with honours even, but things fell apart badly after the restart.
Here are four things we learned from the disappointing display.
Return of the feel-bad factor
United’s first-half showing was entirely acceptable and at times actively impressive. The sense of modest progress under Ruben Amorim was there, it was heartening to see Alejandro Garnacho back on the scoresheet to bag an equaliser and Altay Bayindir looked comfortable in goal. Fantastic.
But within five minutes of the restart the Red Devils were behind again and this time for good – the sort of limp, toothless performance we thought we’d seen the last of saw to that. Newcastle were excellent, but United were desperately poor and there’s no obvious reason for it.
Perhaps Europa League hyperfocus is to blame, with the late equaliser conceded against Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday night a psychological blow going into the second leg of the quarter-final. Perhaps the Newcastle game never really registered as a game at all.
If United’s players felt the need to go through the motions and while away 90 minutes on Sunday evening before having a second pop at the French side, St James’ Park is the last place to try and do it. But whether they meant to or not, they did try and do it, and they got the terrible result it deserved. Now Amorim must pick his players up ahead of Thursday night.
Carry On Goalkeeping
Dropping Andre Onana after his latest clanger on Thursday night, and associated comments in the media, was a huge call by the manager and one which most fans would have backed entirely.
Bayindir was picked for his first Premier League start for United and for much of the game looked confident and capable. His distribution was precise, and it felt like there was a burden lifted from the defenders playing out from the back, as if Onana’s troubles had been affecting them and were now gone.
But the Turkish goalkeeper – a hero for his penalty-saving antics against Arsenal in the FA Cup – dropped a clanger of his own to put paid to any confidence he might have built, and any which anyone had in the state of United’s options between the sticks.
It’s not the first time the 26-year-old has chucked one in in his short time with the club, and while anyone can make a mistake the nature of today’s – rolling the ball straight to an onrushing Newcastle attacker instead of any of his own men – underlined the fact that in reality, United don’t seem to have a goalkeeper remotely close to the standard they need. Until a rule comes in earning you points for comedy, they need to find someone new and quickly.
Manuel labours
Trouble is brewing in the United engine room again, and this time it’s not to do with Casemiro’s age. The Brazilian was on the bench for the Newcastle game but Manuel Ugarte, his frequent partner in the pivot, played the full 90 minutes and illustrated time and again that he is far from the complete midfielder.
The boisterous Uruguayan was typically tough and endlessly energetic, but his limitations on the ball are becoming difficult to ignore. United have known all along that Ugarte was never going to ease the creative burden shouldered by Bruno Fernandes, but the basic “win ball make easy pass” formula that should be drilled into his subconscious by now seems to have developed a fault.
At times today the 24-year-old’s dedication to the simple option killed United’s momentum stone dead at a time when they have very little of the stuff to spare, and when a positive pass seemed to be available and straightforward.
Ugarte is a valuable asset for a team which has long been in desperate need of legs in the midfield, but today was a reminder of the uncomfortable truth that he could hinder progress as much as he helps it.
A smattering of stardust
There are a million and one things which can – and probably will – derail it, but for one scintillating moment everything aligned for United today and gave fans a moment of pure enjoyment. One entirely their own, and not provided by Gianluigi Donnarumma at Anfield.
Out of nowhere, captain Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee channelled the footballing telepathy of prime Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke, passing and moving their way into the box before the Dutchman had a shot well saved. It was over in seconds and didn’t yield a goal, but was a tantalising taste of what could be.
There is no point pretending Zirkzee is a number 9 anymore and with his confidence at a high point in his Old Trafford career he finally looks to be a proper player in one of Amorim’s two number 10 positions. Fernandes is also playing on air at the moment, comfortably too good for the team in which he finds himself, and having these two creative, off-the-wall playmakers operating in tandem has to become a priority.
Featured image Stu Forster via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
