United will be lucky to finish second . . . Newcastle will be lucky to stay up
THE only team who should be particularly cheered by this result are Fulham. Manchester United were desperately ordinary and didn’t particularly deserve to win, only coming alive after Newcastle invited them back into the lead just before the hour. They are second in the Premier League but that in itself is remarkable. They will scare absolutely nobody playing like this.
Newcastle, meanwhile, are on the slide and showing some destructive tendencies. In all the discussion around the tenure of boss Steve Bruce, the possibility of relegation has not really featured until now.
Fulham — third from bottom and in form — are suddenly only three points behind Newcastle with a better goal difference.
If Newcastle were to lose again against Wolves at St James’ Park on Saturday, owner Mike Ashley — who simply can not afford for his club to go down — may have a decision to make about his manager.
The visitors didn’t play at all badly for an hour here. During that time they were the more energetic and played with more purpose. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team were just horribly docile.
But Newcastle lost the game 3-1 and it could have been more. They fell apart a little late on, a reflection of disappearing confidence. Another bad sign.
United’s stats will look good. Late on they created chances. But that should fool nobody. Newcastle helped them to each of the three goals they scored and they remain a side with about three different personalities — none very convincing.
Early on, the home team were slow, passive and reactive, so it was a surprise when they went ahead on the half-hour. Prior to that Newcastle had created some chances.
They are a team who lack belief, however. That was clear from their early hesitancy in and around the United penalty area and the defensive calamities that eventually decided the match.
The tall Brazilian Joelinton was the main culprit. In the fourth minute, he controlled a clearance poorly, then delivered a deflected shot that at least had to be touched over by David de Gea.
Five minutes later, De Gea passed the ball straight to him. Briefly, the goal was empty but for some reason Joelinton chose to pass to Jonjo Shelvey, who shot over. Joelinton is a centre forward who cost £40million.
There were other promising moments that came to nothing on the back of a poor decision in possession or a failure to push bodies in to the right areas. Then, out of nothing, United scored a good goal.
Marcus Rashford was out on the left touchline when Newcastle right-back Emil Krafth got far too close to him. This meant that when the United player pushed the ball through his marker’s legs, he was gone.
Still Rashford had much to do as he cut back on to his right foot inside the area, but his low shot was powerfully struck and too much for goalkeeper Karl Darlow at his post. It was a fine, ambitious finish. Ahead unexpectedly, United did not immediately capitalise.
A corner from the right was played short by Newcastle — a ploy the home team seemed rather baffled by — and when the cross was half-cleared, Allan Saint-Maximin crashed the ball down in to the ground and up over De Gea and into the roof of the net.
Should De Gea have come for the initial cross? Maybe. Did United generally look shaky in the air? Definitely.
The upshot was that Newcastle had a foothold in the game and continued to be the more dangerous team until half-time —indeed, until the moment United restored their lead.
Solskjaer’s side had again offered absolutely nothing early in the second period.
Saint-Maximin’s low volley from 18 yards, saved by De Gea, had been the only incident of note.
But Newcastle have a penchant for self-harm that could yet ruin them, and when young Jamal Lewis let a hopeful Nemanja Matic pass deflect through his legs off the toe of Bruno Fernandes in the 57th minute, Daniel James was free to crash the ball past Darlow from an angle.
That was one defensive mess too many for Newcastle and pretty soon their race — game as it had been — was run.
Joe Willock may only be on loan from Arsenal but he has clearly caught the disaster bug and a rather unnecessary and rather witless foul on Rashford enabled Fernandes to score from the penalty spot with just 15 minutes left to play. After that, United played nicely and missed a glut of chances, but it meant very little.
They will be lucky to finish second. Newcastle may yet be lucky to stay up.
MANCHESTER UNITED: (4-2-3-1) De Gea 6; Wan-Bissaka 6, Lindelof 6, Maguire 5, Shaw 6; Matic 6, Fred 6; James 7 (Mata 88), Fernandes 7, Rashford 8 (Shoretire 88); Martial 5 (Greenwood 69). Subs not used: Henderson, Bailly, Amad, Telles, Williams, Tuanzebe. Booked: Fernandes. NEWCASTLE UNITED: (4-3-1-2) Darlow 5; Krafth 6, Lascelles 6, Clark 6, Lewis 5; Willock 5, Hayden 6, Almiron 6 (Gayle 78); Shelvey 6; Joelinton 5 (Fraser 54), Saint-Maximin 7. Subs not used: Dubravka, Dummett, Carroll, Ritchie, Hendrick, Murphy, Longstaff. Booked: Hayden, Joelinton. Man of the match: Marcus Rashford. Referee: Paul Tierney.