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Monday 30 December 2024 22:00
Manchester United fell to a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United at Old Trafford in our final game of the calendar year.
The visitors opened the scoring after only four minutes, courtesy of an Alexander Isak header, and didn’t take their foot off the throttle from there, adding another through Joelinton with 20 minutes played.
Attacks of our own proved difficult to come by in the opening half and, in truth, a second Isak effort ruled out for offside and Sandro Tonali clattering against a post from yards out left a feeling that the situation was not as bad as it might have been for the Reds on another night.
The second half was a lot brighter than the first for Ruben Amorim’s side, with Harry Maguire nodding an effort against the woodwork after an hour played, but we were unable to break through a sturdy Magpies defence on the night.
Rasmus Hojlund came closest to notching one back for the Reds in the first half.
FIRST HALF – UNDONE BY HEADERS
Amorim’s side started aggressively, pressing from the front with Rasmus Hojlund who piled pressure on Martin Dubravka in the first few seconds of the game, but Newcastle were the first to land a blow minutes later.
Picking up the ball on their left side with four minutes on the clock, Lewis Hall whipped in a cross, finding the head of Isak, who nodded the header down into our goal before Andre Onana could meet it.
The Reds struggled to advance far beyond our own half in the first 20 minutes and the Magpies made their promising spell pay with another goal – this time, Joelinton on the end of an Anthony Gordon cross in very similar circumstances to the first.
Shots from Hall and Sandro Tonali, along with a couple of wicked corner deliveries from Kieran Trippier provoked some nerves of a third — which only intensified when Isak correctly had a goal ruled out for offside and Tonali hit a post from close range within minute of each other — but the Reds just about did enough to restrict the deficit to two.
After fielding waves of attacks from Eddie Howe’s side in the first 30 minutes, the Reds almost nicked one back against the run of play when Hojlund breached the Newcastle backline and poked a finish inches wide of the far post.
That effort, closely following the introduction of Academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo for Joshua Zirkzee, was enough to rouse the Old Trafford crowd, willing Amorim’s men to find a way to correct the difficult start, as the Dane had just come so close to doing.
Amorim’s side did manage to stem the flow of Newcastle attacks as we headed towards the break and almost brought one back again in stoppage time when Mainoo seized the ball high up the pitch. He quickly laid the ball off to Casemiro who was free, but the Brazilian curled his effort wide of the post.
A half to forget for the Reds, which left plenty of work to do in the second period.
A difficult first half for Amorim’s side.
SECOND HALF – NO WAY BACK
The Reds emerged from the dressing room with a renewed fighting spirit, advancing into the opposition half — this time attacking towards the Stretford End — with much greater frequency that the first 45 minutes, launching moves of our own without troubling Dubravka between the Newcastle sticks.
That changed just shy of the hour mark, when Maguire dived to meet a Diogo Dalot cross which rattled the same post that had denied Tonali before the break.
There was no doubt United were growing in a game that had previously looked to be ebbing away from us.
Fellow centre-back Leny Yoro — introduced from the bench in place of captain for this game, Lisandro Martinez — earned an opportunity of his own with some smart movement in the box from a corner but could only direct the delivery just wide of the far post.
Harry Maguire came agonisingly close to nodding one home with an hour played.
The Reds were throwing everything at getting a goal back. At one stage, in the final 10 minutes Hojlund, Amad and Christian Eriksen all had chances inside the box in quick succession, but none of the trio could get a true grip on the ball.
Amorim urged his side on right until the very end, sending on Antony for Matthijs de Ligt as the final whistle approached to add further attacking power, as we took some late pressure to Newcastle’s door.
Sadly, however, there was to be no route to goal for the Reds, ending 2024 with a defeat at Old Trafford.
MATCH DETAILS
United: Onana; De Ligt (Antony 83), Maguire, Martinez (c) (Yoro 64); Mazraoui, Casemiro (Garnacho 64), Eriksen, Dalot; Amad, Zirkzee (Mainoo 33); Hojlund.
Subs not used: Bayindir, Kukonki, Malacia, Collyer, Rashford.
Booked: Martinez.
Newcastle: Dubravka; Trippier (Livramento 58), Schar, Burn, Hall; Joelinton, Tonali, Guimaraes (c); Murphy (Barnes 86), Isak, Gordon (Willock 86).
Subs not used: Odysseas, Kelly, Longstaff, Miley, Almiron, Osula.
Goals: Isak 4, Joelinton 19.
Booked: Schar.
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Monday 30 December 2024 22:00
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