Throughout the day, the snow and ice covering Tyneside did not thaw. As the evening brought below-freezing temperatures, Newcastle proved to be too much for Manchester United to handle.
Despite Anthony Gordon scoring the only goal in the second half, the close score does not accurately depict the dominance of Eddie Howe’s team or the lack of direction from their opponents.
Erik ten Hag encountered travel complications due to severe weather, causing his team’s plane to be unable to reach Manchester as it was stuck at another airport. Despite a replacement aircraft being sent to take Manchester United back home on Saturday evening, the team had to endure a lengthy and tiresome coach ride through the Pennines.
Since his team played against Galatasaray in Istanbul last Wednesday and seven experienced players are injured, Ten Hag has multiple excuses for his team’s recent loss, which is a major obstacle to their goal of being in seventh place.
Fatigue may have been a factor in the early mishap involving André Onana and Diogo Dalot, which had elements of confusion and humor. It seemed that communication had broken down between the two players, as the left-back hurriedly tried to intercept a seemingly routine clearance from his goalkeeper. In his haste, he lifted the ball over an alarmed-looking Onana and almost scored an own goal, but was able to hook the ball to safety. At one point, it appeared that the ball may have hit Dalot’s arm, but he was not penalized. Did Onana’s mistakes in the previous game affect the confidence of Ten Hag’s defense?
Perhaps Dalot was unsettled by the aggressive and unrelenting attacking tactics of Howe’s team. Despite Newcastle being without 11 key players due to injuries or suspensions and still dealing with the aftermath of an emotionally-charged 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, they completely controlled the game.
While it is true that there were occasional instances where Bruno Fernandes, who was not always closely marked, made brilliant counterattacking passes that could have caused trouble for Howe’s team, these were infrequent occurrences in contrast to the overall pattern.
Onana, goaded horribly by the Gallowgate End, proved his worth by saving smartly to deny Miguel Almirón following Joelinton’s adroit cutback. Meanwhile Alexander Isak saw a shot deflected wide by Harry Maguire, Bruno Guimarães went close from just outside the area, Jamaal Lascelles headed wide from six yards and Kieran Trippier’s wickedly swerving free-kick hit the bar.
Fernandes made a strong effort, but it’s hard to imagine what Ten Hag would do without his influential midfielder’s creative vision. However, Manchester United did not pose much of a threat in their attacks. Marcus Rashford, who was largely kept out of the game, seemed frustrated by the constant anticipation of Howe’s highly skilled left-back, Tino Livramento.
Ten Hag’s lineup had never played together before, and their uncoordinated and disjointed performance made it clear that they were not accustomed to playing as a team.
Despite this, the absence of a clear strategic plan surrounding Fernandes raised concerns about whether the ex-Ajax coach still heavily relies on individual players to make game-changing plays through spontaneous displays of skill.
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Newcastle was dominant, making it a challenging evening for defenders like Luke Shaw who played out of position at center-back. Despite this, Shaw was able to make crucial blocks and interceptions.
Regrettably, Shaw and his team encountered a loss of focus as Gordon, who was not being closely guarded, scored from Trippier’s cross at the far goal post following Guimarães’ unbalanced attack on Ten Hag’s defense.
The manager of Manchester United shook his head, acknowledging that the goal was well-deserved and not surprising.
He answered by substituting Rashford and Anthony Martial with Antony and Rasmus Højlund. Shortly after, they witnessed their team successfully defend against a handball penalty claim when Aaron Wan-Bissaka blocked Lewis Miley’s shot.
Howe was pleased with Miley’s impressive display, but his happiness was dampened when his goalkeeper Nick Pope suffered a serious shoulder injury and had to be substituted for Martin Dubravka.
Antony quickly hit the ball past the new player, but it bounced off an offside Maguire. As a result, the “equaliser” was not counted and Newcastle moved up to fifth place thanks to their third consecutive victory against Manchester United.
Source: theguardian.com
