Match report: Newcastle 4 United 1

Manchester United suffered a distressing second half on Tyneside, not only losing 4-1 but also seeing Joshua Zirkzee forced to leave the field due to injury.

The Reds had competed well in the first period, even though head coach Ruben Amorim understandably made changes, five in total, ahead of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final second leg.

Altay Bayindir and Harry Amass made their Premier League debut and first start respectively, with Andre Onana not in the matchday squad and a lot of experience left on the bench.

The hosts, without manager Eddie Howe who was hospitalised on Friday, went ahead through Sandro Tonali, only for Alejandro Garnacho to level before the break.

However, the second half was one to forget as Harvey Barnes struck twice and Bruno Guimaraes added a fourth, with each goal one that United will feel should have been avoided.

FIRST HALF – EVEN STEVENS

There was always going to be a fast start from the revved-up Magpies a.nd they had the ball in the net very early on, but Kieran Trippier knew he was offside when crossing for Joelinton to beat Bayindir. The pressure continued, with Jacob Murphy flashing a drive wide when a stray pass by Zirkzee gifted possession to the hosts.

Yet United managed to enjoy a good spell ourselves, with Murphy surviving a handball appeal inside the box, as Zirkzee hooked the ball towards him, and the Dutchman was then on the end of a quite fabulous move. It would have been a contender for Goal of the Season had ZIrkzee managed to finish either side of Nick Pope but the big keeper was able to tip the effort over after quick interplay between Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes and the striker left the Newcastle defence bewildered.

Pope clutched Fernandes’s ball in at his near post, following the corner, but the momentum then swung very much the Tynesiders’ way. Alexander Isak headed wide, when looking suspiciously offside, and then set up the opening goal. After hounding the Reds off the ball, with Manuel Ugarte’s loose pass being seized upon, the home side worked the ball through to Isak, whose assist over the top was buried on the volley by Tonali, in the 24th minute.

It was one-way traffic then, with Tonali striving for his second when drilling wide, Bayindir pulling off a miraculous stop to thwart Isak after parrying a Tino Livramento cross to the Sweden striker and Isak knocking the ball past Bayindir and going close to corkscrewing his effort in from a near-impossible angle. Dan Burn then planted a header onto the top of the net as it seemed only a matter of time before Newcastle doubled their lead.

Instead, another slick raid by United conjured up the equaliser. Ugarte won the ball well in midfield and invited Diogo Dalot to charge forward. The right wing-back timed the release of his pass to Garnacho to perfection, and the Argentina international stroked past Pope and into the far corner of the net for a well-worked goal.

Garnacho forced Pope to prevent us going in ahead at the break, when the keeper pushed the shot away awkwardly, when a break was sparked by some quick feet by young defender Amass.

SECOND HALF – ERRORS PUNISHED

United actually looked a threat after the restart but referee Chris Kavanagh was not interested in another spot-kick shout, when Dalot was pushed to the ground by Tonali after a surge into the box. Amass was allowed too much space and chanced his arm with a shot from distance that flew over but the Magpies soon turned the screw again.

Livramento took advantage of space down the left and, although his cross seemed overhit, the danger was not over as Murphy intelligently turned it back in for an unmarked Barnes to tap his team back in front.

Things went from bad to worse when Zirkzee went on a mazy run and refused to relinquish possession, only to pull up holding his hamstring. The injury appears to be extremely untimely, and unfair on the forward, and we lost our way as he came off as part of a triple substitution. Burn, always an obvious target, headed another chance over the top but, soon after, in the 64th minute, Mazraoui slipped to hand Barnes an opening he took with aplomb, simply darting through the middle to deliver a clinical finish.

Although Ugarte mustered a shot on target from outside the box, easily dealt with by Pope, another mishap at the back led to the hosts’ fourth goal. Bayindir’s pass out failed to clear Joelinton’s head and Guimaraes was left with the simplest of tasks to slip the ball home.

Mason Mount had a tame shot saved by Pope and Rasmus Hojlund was off target on a couple of occasions but there was never any way back.

Luke Shaw’s first appearance of the year, as a late substitute was a rare positive but now the focus is very much now on getting back to Manchester and bidding to reach the last four of the Europa League.

MATCH DETAILS

Newcastle: Pope; Trippier (Krafth 78), Schar, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes (c) (Miley 85), Tonali, Joelinton (Longstaff 85); Murphy (Gordon 78), Isak (Wilson 78), Barnes.

Unused substitutes: Dubravka, Targett, Neave, Osula.

Scorers: Tonali 24, Barnes 49, 64, Guimaraes 77.

United: Bayindir; Mazraoui (Shaw 78), Lindelof, Yoro; Dalot, Eriksen, Ugarte, Amass (Dorgu 55); Garnacho (Mount 55), Fernandes (c) (Mainoo 82); Zirkzee (Hojlund 55).

Unused substitutes: Heaton, Heaven, Maguire, Casemiro.

Scorer: Garnacho 37.

Booked: Ugarte, Yoro.

Recommended:

Back to Top