Newcastle United played well against Manchester United, but the home side mounted a comeback to win the match.
Amazing and collapse are two words that best describe Newcastle United’s performance at Old Trafford yesterday. What started off as a dream result in the first half quickly turned into a nightmare for Newcastle as Manchester United came from behind to win 3-2.
A positive result would have generated fresh confidence on Tyneside, but conceding three goals in the final 20 minutes of action changed all of that. All Newcastle can do now is look forward to the Brighton match in a few weeks. Here are some observations from the entertaining clash between Newcastle and Manchester United.
Muto-Perez Duo
The duo of Yoshinori Muto and Ayoze Perez worked out pretty well for Newcastle, especially in the first 45 minutes of action. The Toon Army were impatiently waiting for Muto to make his first start and it came yesterday against Manchester United. Muto looked completely relaxed and he played with plenty of urgency on and off the ball.
The fact that Muto managed to score in his debut as a starter against a quality opponent is a great sign for Newcastle, a side that has been searching for a striker to end the scoring woes up top. As a result of Muto’s constant activity, the field seemed to open up for Perez. The attacking midfielder put in a good performance, especially with his creation of passing lanes down the middle which was put on display with his assist to Kenedy.
Unstable Defending
Newcastle did not deserve to lose yesterday, but the lack of composure after conceding the first goal is what enabled the Red Devils to constantly push the ball forward. Newcastle’s back-line looked solid and stable in the first half as they were quick to pick out passes and build counter-attacks.
The second half should raise some major concerns for Rafa Benitez as his defenders began to collapse under pressure. The defensive unit knew that Manchester United would come out in the second half with an attacking mindset.
However, the Magpies lacked aggression and avoided confrontation, especially on the wings. Newcastle must be more aggressive and compact in the back over the next few weeks if they wish to earn six points from Brighton and Southampton later this month.
Not Relegation Bound
Despite dropping even deeper into the relegation zone (19th place) as a result of this loss, Newcastle showed that they have sufficient quality to stay up this season. The Magpies played with confidence yesterday and they showed that they can spread the field and build some impressive attacks. Newcastle looked like a mid-table side and if they can maintain this style of play against more lenient opponents, Rafa Benitez’s men will gradually climb out of this whole.