CRIS IS CROSS
Ronaldo makes feelings known after being hooked by Ten Hag
CRISTIANO RONALDO left Erik ten Hag in no doubt what he thought of his decision to hook him with the game in the balance – shaking his head for the best part of a minute.
The Portugal superstar will also believe that if the chance that fell to his replacement Marcus Rashford, below, had come to him in the last minute, Manchester United would have won.
Rashford and Fred could have settled this late on, both fluffing their lines with the goal gaping.
Yet over the course of 95 minutes the hosts were devoid of incision up front and reduced to howling for penalties, Jadon Sancho and Casemiro going down theatrically to no avail.
Ronaldo’s was not the only poor performance in what was an average United display.
Starting only his second league game this season, he cut a miserable figure for long spells, all too frequently offside as he searched for the extra yard of pace his legs are no longer able to deliver. Newcastle’s ambition shrivelled as the game went on but they had chances in the first half, with Joelinton hitting the woodwork twice in quick succession on 26 minutes.
The draw was a decent result for the Toon, who remain a point behind the Red Devils in sixth.
Ten Hag made four changes to the side that beat Everton last weekend, with Sancho, Raphael Varane, Fred and Ronaldo all back.
Rashford, apparently “under the weather” this week, dropped to the bench while Christian Eriksen was absent due to illness. Newcastle have been in good form and Eddie Howe left his team largely unchanged, Joelinton for JoeWillock his only tinker. And they started the match fired up and physical. Joelinton twice hit the bar, first with a header and then after a Kieran Trippier free-kick that crashed into the wall was recycled.
Antony fired into Nick Pope’s legs after a break from Sancho but aside from that United created precious little.
The second period started with more intent from them and United quickly had the ball in the net, Ronaldo finishing neatly only for play to be pulled back as he had strayed offside in the build up. Ronaldo received a silver plate from Sir Alex Ferguson before kick-off to mark his 700 career goals in club football.
But he was furious when Ten Hag decided to take him off in the 71st minute.
Credit has to go to the head coach, however, because Rashford should have made the difference.
Casemiro picked him out on the right and he beat Pope to the ball by the corner of the box before skipping round him.
Finding the angle narrowing, he chose to square to Fred who failed to convert the opportunity.
The best chance came in the final seconds, Casemiro finding Rashford only for the striker to head wide from six yards.
He laid flat out, head buried and so he might because Ronaldo would surely have scored. MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6, Dalot 5, Varane 6, Martinez 6, Shaw 7; Casemiro 7, Fred 4; Antony 6, Fernandes 5, Sancho 6; Ronaldo 6 (Rashford 71). NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Pope 6; Trippier 8, Schar 7 (Lascelles 90), Botman 7, Burn 7 (Targett 78); S Longstaff 6, Guimaraes 4 (Willock 78), Joelinton 6; Almiron 6, Wilson 5 (Wood 78) Murphy 5 (Fraser 59, 6).