Newcastle United beat Manchester United 2-1 at St James Park despite playing half the match with 10 men.
Jacob Ramsey was sent off for two yellows cards in the first half, with the second coming for simulation just before half-time. But that wasn’t the only drama of first-half injury time.
Newcastle took the lead shortly after being reduced to 10 men, with Anthony Gordon scoring a penalty. Casemiro then equalised in the ninth minute of injury time.
Man Utd were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage, subdued by a Eddie Howe’s courageous Newcastle side.
William Osula’s 90th-minute strike proved to be the dagger in what was a flat performance for the Red Devils.
In this article we’ll cover:
Carrick’s Man Utd finally out of Ideas
Playing away at St James’ Park is never an easy match. But Man Utd weathered the early storm — as teams often need to — and then slowly played their way into the game.
The Red Devils succeeded in phases early on thanks to the possession-heavy football they’ve relied on under Michael Carrick. But it felt as though their attack was well out of sync.
Man Utd often relied on Bruno Fernandes to create chances from crosses in search of a late winner, with the pass often coming off loose.
Carrick’s men would force the pass centrally, give the ball away, retrieve it but fail to find their forward. Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo would sometimes look to go in behind without behing found. On other occasions they would come short and not receive the ball.
It felt like an attack that was forcing things,rather than looking slick. There have been warning signs in previous games under Carrick.
Man Utd have been exposed in the middle of the pitch, relying on Casemiro to screen 40 yards and Benjamin Sesko to bail them out.
There is nothing wrong with grinding wins out at this stage of the season. It’s more important than anything else. But eventually in the Premier League the football you play will be met with a result that reflects your weakness.
For once, Carrick’s changes didn’t work. Man Utd were clearly lacking width, but Carrick waited until the 80th minute to bring on Amad Diallo. That proved too little too late.
Some of Carrick’s other substitutions were questionable, too. Man Utd always seem to lose control when Casemiro is subbed off, and Manuel Ugarte brought neither control nor progression. The Red Devils may have committed more men up the pitch in search of a late winner, but Fernandes was deeper as a midfielder.
Carrick has still been stupendous since arriving. But now he must solve the issues he has encounted during his reign, as opposed to fixing the ones inherited from Ruben Amorim.
Newcastle’s dogged determination
Newcastle did not play as though they were down to 10 men in the second half. Joelinton and Sandro Tonali were flying into tackle after tackle.
Howe moved to a 4-3-2 with Anthony Elanga and Gordon running the channels, causing Man Utd plenty of problems. The Magpies didn’t allow Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo space, matching up in the middle of the pitch man-for-man. They moved the space on the outskirts of Newcastle’s block. And Carrick’s remedy for this problem came too late.
When Cunha got on the ball out wide, Kieran Trippier was tight on the Brazilian. WheN Man Utd used Fernandes to get Mbeumo or Sesko in behind, Malick Thiaw and Dan Burn were there to sniff out the attack.
For all the possession Newcastle conceded, they didn’t look under the cosh. Instead, they played their way into a deserved winner late on. Howe did well to nullify Man Utd’s midfield throughout, particularly when down to 10 men.
Howe has come under criticism in the past for his pragmatic approach. But this time he successfully stopped Fernandes from finding space, and made Man Utd’s attack look flat.
He had no real choice but to play the match in the manner that they did in the second half. But the red card emboldened and galvanised Newcastle.
They outfought and outran Man Utd, and matched them for shots on target (five each). Aaron Ramsdale had little to do in the Newcastle goal.
The win leaves Newcastle five points off seventh-placed Brentford, and will encourage them for the rest of the season. For Carrick, the sheen and glory of winning six matches in seven will only be celebrated if Champions League football is secured.