Man United outclassed by Newcastle as EPL turnaround stalls

NEWCASTLE, England — One of the teams playing at St James’ Park was bottom of the Premier League table exactly two years ago and, if you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t have guessed they were It was Newcastle United.

This was supposed to be the season Manchester United started under Erik ten Hag – but instead it’s Eddie Howe’s side, facing relegation not long ago , which seems better organized, better prepared and better trained.

Newcastle beat Man United 1-0 on Saturday and there is an argument that, although they are relative newcomers to the English football rankings (thanks to heavy investment from Saudi Arabia since their takeover in 2021), they have already overtaken their Manchester rivals.

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Both managers, Howe and Ten Hag, will tell you they are overseeing projects that will take time to come to fruition, but mounting evidence suggests Newcastle are already further along in their journey.

Both managers are struggling with injuries, both teams have had difficult away games in the Champions League this week and yet Newcastle were clearly better that night and could have won by more.

“Today we have Newcastle to thank,” Ten Hag said. “After the start where we could have scored with Alejandro Garnacho, they were better than us, they were more proactive and we had to go behind to come back and they had to defend.

“We did that but we gave them a goal and in the end we fought back. We had two good chances but we couldn’t take a point from there.”

Man United arrived at Newcastle on the back of five wins in their last six Premier League matches, but it’s a form that has at times hidden their fragility and here it was brutally exposed. Anthony Gordon scored the only goal early in the second half, but while the difference on the score line was only one, the gap between the two teams’ performances was much greater.

There were 16 shots in the first half, of which Newcastle had 14. At the end of the 90 minutes, the total was 22 for Newcastle and eight for Man United, who managed just one on target. Kieran Trippier hit the underside of the bar with a free kick for Newcastle and when Gordon’s goal finally arrived it seemed almost inevitable.

“If you lose, you’re always unhappy and we talk to the team about why, but I’m sure this team is resilient,” Ten Hag said. “We have to get this back. This team has the experience and we have to prepare for Wednesday [against Chelsea]. Next match, and don’t stay on this match. »

Newcastle needed two goalkeepers after Nick Pope was forced off the field with injury in the second half, but he had no saves to make and neither did his replacement, Martin Dúbravka.

For that, most of the blame will fall on the shoulders of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial because, for the 61 minutes both men were on the pitch, they were largely anonymous. At one point in the first half, Martial was engaged in a fierce argument with Ten Hag on the touchline and, for long periods of the match, Rashford appeared uninterested.

The timing of such a display from Rashford was telling as it was overshadowed by Gordon on the day England found out their draw for next summer’s Euros. Gordon was left out of the latest squad by England manager Gareth Southgate, but the case for Rashford ahead of him is shrinking by the day. Gordon’s goal was his sixth in the Premier League this season, while Rashford looks a shadow of the player who scored 30 in all competitions last season.

“I know this issue is coming up and Marcus is investing a lot,” Ten Hag said. “We support him and he will get back into shape. He works hard and he invests a lot, he will come back, he will recover and he will have all our support.”

There were signs at Everton and even in the 3-3 draw at Galatasaray on Wednesday that Man United were starting to find their feet after a torrid start to the season, but the manner in which the defeat at Newcastle can only be seen as another significant setback. .

That now makes six defeats in 14 league matches and 10 in all competitions as Newcastle have won three successive meetings against Man United for the first time since 1922. Man United, meanwhile, have not won away in Premier League against a team starting the day in the top eight since October 2021.

Newcastle played like a team comfortable with their reputation of being one of the best in the league while it was the Man United players who made it look like they could have been the ones in a battle of relegation just two years ago.

The result saw Newcastle leapfrog Man United in the table, but Ten Hag’s concern is that the real leap forward is far greater.