Highest of highs, then the lowest of all blows
EUPHORIA GIVES WAY TO AGONY AS UNITED LET IT ALL SLIP AWAY
FOR one glorious autumnal hour or so it felt fantastic to be a Newcastle United fan again.
Forget pizza and politics, forget Mike Ashley and Sports Direct for a moment and forget the Magpies’ perilous position in the Premier League table.
After a winless start to the season, being 2-0 ahead at Old Trafford was heavenly for the long-suffering Newcastle fans - even the sun was shining on them in the away end.
For when Yoshinori Muto was afforded four touches in the box before turning his man majestically and slamming past David De Gea, Geordie fans were the ones in Dreamland at Old Trafford.
However, reality kicked in as Manchester United staged a late comeback.
Even when that state of hysteria had worn off 78 minutes later for Toon fans, when Mata’s free-kick was whipped beyond Martin Dubravka at the Stretford
End, Rafa Benitez’s side was still in with a shout of leaving the north west with something to show for its efforts.
Newcastle deserved at least a point on the balance of play - although this game should have been all over at half-time. Sadly, the limitations of Benitez’s squad were exposed bit by bit by a Red Devils’ side which is in a false position in the Premier League.
There had been nothing wrong with the way Newcastle had strolled into a 2-0 lead as Kenedy finished brilliantly after just seven minutes before Muto’s moment of quality.
In fact, no side ever had established a quicker or better lead at Old Trafford in Premier League history with just 10 minutes gone.
Newcastle could easily have added to their advantage too.
That was the crying shame for the Magpies after threatening to win away to the Red Devils for only the second time in 37 attempts.
If only Muto had been able to divert Jamaal Lascelles’ knock down the other side of De Gea.
If only local referee Anthony Taylor had been looking in the right direction when Ashley Young used his arm to block Jonjo Shelvey’s