Newcastle United: 5 things we learned from the 1-0 win over Manchester United

Newcastle United managed to climb out of the relegation zone with an impressive 1-0 victory over Manchester United at St. James’ Park.

The thrilling match between Newcastle United and Manchester United ended in a surprising 1-0 victory for the Magpies. The final whistle generated loud cheers across St. James’ Park in addition to a major sigh of relief as Newcastle won their first home game since October.

There were plenty of chances for both sides throughout the match, but the second-half strike from Matt Ritchie in the penalty area was enough to separate the Magpies from the Red Devils. Here are five things we learned from the action-packed match on Sunday.

Martin Dubravka

The Slovak international goalkeeper made his debut for Newcastle United after signing for the club in the final hours of the January transfer window. Many supporters and pundits were surprised to see Martin Dubravka’s name appear in the lineup in such a big match against superior opponents, but his debut could not have gone any better.

The defense played a major role in Sunday’s victory over Manchester United, but Dubravka came up big with some important saves that helped Newcastle secure a clean sheet. Dubravka showed that his frame and strength will provide the Magpies with more stability in the back as he easily intercepted crosses and extended his body to make a save instead of diving pre-maturely. Based on Dubravka’s performance on Sunday, expect to see Karl Darlow on the bench against Bournemouth.

Midfield Chemistry

It took several months, but Newcastle United’s midfield is finally clicking on all cylinders. Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame put in a strong performance against Manchester United as they pushed the ball forward offensively while giving the opposing midfielders little to no breathing room to make plays happen in the middle third of the pitch.

While Shelvey and Diame did the dirty work in the middle through aggressive play, Kenedy and Matt Ritchie provided Newcastle with good pace on the wings, which forced the Red Devils to widen their formation. Ayoze Perez did well off the ball as he applied high pressure against the opposing back-line, but he could have done better in stringing together more inside-outside passes as the central attacking midfielder.

Against Bournemouth, Rafa might want to try experimenting the lineup by placing Ritchie as the central attack midfielder and keeping Atsu out wide opposite of Kenedy.

Composure

The lack of second-half composure has been a constant topic of discussion for Newcastle United, but the Magpies finally proved that they can take the lead and keep it. The Magpies have dropped too many points this season in matches they should have won, but the lads in stripes did their job on Sunday by staying calm after scoring.

Having composure at every position on the pitch requires a balanced style of play that does not place more emphasis on defense over offense. Of course, the objective late in the game on Sunday was to maintain the lead, but Rafa Benitez did so by continuing to attack. Had the Magpies sat back to park the bus they would have enabled Manchester United to move too many bodies forward.

Only 11 matches remain in the season and the Magpies must emulate Sunday’s second-half performance whenever they take the lead in a match.

Team Mentality

The victory on Sunday came at a prime moment in the season as Newcastle United find themselves in a competitive relegation battle. Not only did the three points against Manchester United lift the Magpies from 18th to 13th in the table, the result provided the squad with more confidence for upcoming matches.

Confidence will prove to be the key catalyst in times of pressure and uncertainty for Newcastle United. With that being said, the Magpies should remain grounded and value each match with the same level of importance as they are one win away from potentially breaking into the top ten of the Premier League.

Rafa Benitez

The managerial rivalry between Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho has been noted by the media all of last week, but was downplayed by both managers in their press conferences. While both managers seem to be humble and respectful towards one another, the rivalry has not been erased.

Next: Newcastle United's all-time top five managers

Manchester United defeated Newcastle United at Old Trafford in November, but this time Benitez got the best of Mourinho. Benitez showed that he was not afraid to attack for all 90 minutes, and that tactical risk paid off as his team completed an improbable upset in front of their home supporters.