Newcastle United 0-2 Manchester United
Suddenly, what was once a disaster-waiting-to-happen turned into a paradise for Manchester United.
After sacking manager Jose Mourinho following a poor start to the 2018/19 Premier League campaign, the Red Devils seem to have resurrected from the dead under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and have now won four straight top-flight games—the latest against rivals Newcastle United.
Sure enough, they remain sixth in the standings, the same position where Mourinho left them. However, make no mistake, they are back in the running for the Champions League spots and appear more positive now compared to when they were headed by the so-called “The Special One.”
Highlights of the game
Interim manager Solskjaer couldn’t wish for a better start as caretaker of the proud Manchester United team, and his latest victory is clear proof that the players are buying into the football he wants to play.
Manchester United needed two second-half goals from Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford to put the game to bed, but they dominated the match for the most part and deservedly took all three points against Rafa Benitez’s hapless Newcastle club.
Even more remarkable, the team kept their opponents goalless—something which they haven’t done since November. Solskjaer wanted his team to be locked-in defensively, particularly from set pieces, and his players responded well to record only their third clean sheet of the season.
“Finally we kept a clean sheet!” Solskjaer exclaimed after the fight, via Mirror Online. “It’s a big, big plus for us to not let in a goal. I’m most happy tonight with that.”
“It was very professional performance but never quite hit the heights. We kept plugging away and it was a good reaction by Rom to get us the first goal.”
Manchester United were unfortunate not to score in the opening frame. They were in the front foot right from the off, with Newcastle seemingly contented to sit back and defend.
Unfortunately for the Magpies, the Manchester team switched gears in the second half and relentlessly attacked until they found the back of the net.
It didn’t last long before Manchester United broke the deadlock, thanks in large part to Lukaku and Solskjaer’s timely substitution. The Belgian steam train came in as a substitute on 63 minutes, and 38 seconds later, he scored with his first touch.
Lukaku took advantage of a goalkeeping error from Martin Dubravka to give Manchester United the lead. Marcus Rashford hit the ball directly to Dubravka off a free-kick, but the Slovakian goalie failed to hold on to it, which allowed the on-rushing Lukaku to poke home the opener.
Sixteen minutes after their first goal, Manchester United said their goodnight to Newcastle with a second. Lukaku connected with Alexis Sanchez at the top of the box, and the Chilean forward then teed up Rashford into a wide open space from 15 yards.
Rashford made no mistake and easily converted to erase all worries and ensure that they remain unbeaten since their 3-1 defeat to Liverpool.
Key statistics
The pre-match Premier League 2019 odds at SBOBET pointed to a Manchester United victory, and the club certainly didn’t disappoint. They dominated possession (65.2 percent) and had seven shots on target out of 16 attempts.
In contrast, Newcastle were punished for their lack of clinical finishing, having only three on-target efforts despite taking 14 shots.
Here are more interesting statistics and milestones achieved in the game:
- Solskjaer is only the second Manchester United manager in history to win his first four league games in charge. Sir Matt Busby was the first one to do it in 1946.
- It’s Solskjaer’s first clean sheet as Manchester United manager. As mentioned, it’s also just the third time that the club held their league opponents goalless this campaign, doing it against Burnley (September) and Crystal Palace (November).
- Manchester United have now scored 14 goals in four games since Solskjaer took over. They have made only 29 markers in 17 fixtures under Mourinho.
- For Newcastle, the 0-2 result is the ninth time they have failed to score in the Premier League this campaign.
- The defeat also leaves Newcastle with eight losses out of 11 home matches. They won only twice at St James’ Park this year.
What’s next?
Manchester United are expected to be in the headlines of Premier League 2019 news moving forward. After all, with the way they are playing, it will be interesting if they can maintain their chase for a top-four spot.
Next up for the Red Devils are Tottenham Hotspur, undoubtedly the biggest test yet for Solskjaer.
On the other hand, Newcastle visit Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next weekend. The Magpies haven’t won in four games now, so they will be determined to end that skid as they face the Blues who are coming off a draw against Southampton.
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