Positive play means nothing if points are not forthcoming
NEWCASTLE United remain just three points clear of the relegation zone following a 3-1 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford gave the Red Devils the lead on the half-hour mark but Allan Saint-Maximin equalised for the visitors just six minutes later.
However, Daniel James put Manchester United back in front on 56 minutes and Bruno Fernandes scored a late penalty to condemn Newcastle to their 14th league defeat of the season.
Here are five things we learned from the game.
Newcastle simply need points as well as positives
Fulham threw down the gauntlet to Newcastle on the eve of this game by closing the gap on the Magpies to just three points. To put that feat into perspective, Newcastle were 10 points clear just two weeks ago.
Steve Bruce did not inspire confidence by saying “it is what it is” and that there were “seven or eight” teams “looking over their shoulders” – just who are they? – but his team’s response on the field was what mattered.
This was perhaps the first time this season that Newcastle went into a game with that sort of pressure, knowing that a team below them was within striking distance.
There were some positives to take from Newcastle’s display in the first 50 minutes but the Magpies simply need points at this stage of the season.
There have been some unpredictable results elsewhere during the pandemic but you have to go back to August 2019 for the last time Newcastle beat one of the traditional big hitters on the road.
Fulham, crucially, have found a way to start finally winning games and Newcastle simply need to start picking up points now. Only Sheffield United and West Brom, who are both set for the drop, have lost more league games this season.
The scenario that will concern Ashley and potential buyers
Steve Bruce did what Mike Ashley asked of him last season by keeping Newcastle in the Premier League and there was much talk in the early stages of the current campaign of the Magpies challenging for the top 10.
Newcastle were hit hard by a
Covid outbreak and have counted the cost of injuries to key players at crucial points but the Magpies simply should not be in 17th place after 25 games.
Bruce has been fortunate that the standard near the bottom is particularly poor – West Brom and Sheffield United have long appeared doomed – but Fulham have now put the pressure on the black-and-whites.
Newcastle could end up in the bottom three if they lose against Wolves on Saturday and Fulham beat Crystal Palace on Sunday. Given the contrasting form of Newcastle and Fulham, that is not an unrealistic possibility.
That is a prospect that will surely concern Ashley, who can ill-afford another relegation if he is to sell the club, as well as the Saudi-led consortium interested in buying the Magpies.
Newcastle pay the price for poor defending
Chelsea targeted Newcastle’s right-hand side last Monday and Manchester United broke the deadlock six days later by doing just that on the half-hour mark.
Marcus Rashford nutmegged Emil Krafth and raced past the Swede before the Manchester United forward calmly cut on to his right foot and fired the ball past Karl Darlow, who knew he should have done better at his near post.
If that was a poor goal to concede, Newcastle’s defending for Manchester United’s second was not much better on 56 minutes. Nemanja Matic’s ball across the box, somehow, reached the unmarked Daniel James and the winger had far too much space to pick his spot and fire the Red Devils back in front.
There was still time for Bruno Fernandes to score a late penalty. Despite Manchester United not being at their absolute best, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side still managed to put three goals past Newcastle and that is a big concern.
Ryan Fraser shot sums up Newcastle’s second-half problems
Jamaal Lascelles believed it was time Newcastle took “points off one of the big boys” and the skipper urged his side to “be up against” Manchester United and “in their face”.
Well, you could not fault Newcastle’s start. After such a lethargic opening against Chelsea – Newcastle only got going after going 2-0 down – the black-and-whites were at it from the off at Old Trafford.
Steve Bruce’s side pressed high from the off and it unnerved and surprised Manchester United. That was clear with just 10 minutes on the clock when David de Gea, bizarrely, kicked the ball straight to Joelinton.
Newcastle may have only had just 27% possession in the opening 45 minutes but the Magpies more than held their own in the first half.
However, the game drifted away from Newcastle after Daniel James put the Red Devils back in front and it said it all that the Magpies’ best effort in the second half was a speculative shot from substitute Ryan Fraser.
Without Callum Wilson in the side, you do fear just how Newcastle are going to pick up enough points before the striker returns for the runin.
Set-piece homework is not enough
Manchester United may be second in the table but this side have vulnerabilities as West Brom and Sheffield United showed recently – and the Red Devils’ defenders and goalkeeper do not like balls into the box.
Newcastle repeatedly targeted Manchester United’s shaky backline by playing corners short and then swinging the ball back into the box. It eventually paid off for Allan SaintMaximin’s equaliser on 35 minutes.
Jonjo Shelvey went short to Miguel Almiron who slipped the ball to Joe Willock and the midfielder’s looping delivery caused Harry Maguire problems.
The Manchester United captain could only head the ball into Allan Saint-Maximin’s path and the Frenchman made the most of it by side-footing the ball past de Gea.
It was Saint-Maximin’s first goal since October and his first since recovering from his battle with Covid, which kept the 23-year-old out for two months.
Ultimately, however, Newcastle never looked like scoring another and that is the big worry ahead of a huge game against Wolves on Saturday.