A new formation for Manchester United and a new winning goal scorer. We have waited a while for both.
After more than a year of stubbornness and willfulness, United manager Ruben Amorim finally threw a Boxing Day surprise and started a game with a back four.
His usual left wing-back Patrick Dorgu found himself stationed on the right wing and that was probably as much a surprise to him as it was to everybody else.
But the Dane promptly scored for the first time in almost 40 United games, lashing in a dropping ball at a first half corner to give Amorim’s team a lead that they somehow managed to hang on to.
Missing key players such as captain Bruno Fernandes, United will not win many games playing like this. Newcastle were the better team for all but the twenty minutes that followed Dorgu’s goal and hit the frame of the goal twice in the second half through Fabian Schar and Lewis Hall.
They also had a decent shout for a penalty and missed two great late chances, German forward Nick Woltemade and then Geordie full-back Lewis Miley both shooting wildly over the bar.
Patrick Dorgu was the hero for Manchester United on the day Ruben Amorim finally changed his formation
Ruben Amorim abandoned his back five and opted for a back four to face Newcastle
But there was a determination and a sense of the resolute about United here that will encourage their manager and supporters. They also played with a threat on the counter.
During a second half that Newcastle utterly dominated, for example, United scampered forward only twice and almost scored both times, as Benjamin Sesko crashed a shot of his own against the bar and Diogo Dalot volleyed over.
United arguably deserved to get something at Aston Villa last Sunday and didn’t and perhaps will argue that these things even themselves out. As for Newcastle, they simply paid the price for not taking opportunities and as such their search for better away results goes on.
Newcastle will rarely play like this away from home without getting something but it wasn’t all down to bad luck. Woltemade has a good strike rate in his debut Premier League season but his hold up play was desperately poor here and his team suffered on the back of it.
United’s formation certainly surprised everybody, even Newcastle manager Eddie Howe who had to reorganise quickly, but for a while none of this made much difference.
Newcastle were the better team for the 20-minutes or more until Dorgu scored. With United down on bodies in the centre of the field, they couldn’t get enough of the ball. Bruno Guimaraes almost scored in the 13th minute, heading powerfully down at the near post from a corner only for United goalkeeper Senne Lammens to save well. Newcastle came again immediately and Jacob Murphy’s shot was deflected over from 20 yards.
United had mustered one chance before that as Sesko turned on to a Dorgu cross and shot wide without any conviction. But it was Sesko who played an important part in the build-up to a United opening goal that arrived rather against the run of play.
The big United forward has struggled this season but some neat play down the left allowed Matheus Cunha to run free and bring a low save from Aaron Ramsdale at his near post. From the corner, the ball was headed up into the air and when it dropped Dorgu applied a sumptuous volley to the ball from 12 yards that gave Ramsdale no chance as he dived in vain to his right.
Newcastle had chances to punish United’s wastefulness; Nick Woltemade missed late on
It really was a fabulous goal and it changed the course of the remainder of the half. Newcastle could not regain their control and composure while United started to play with fresh energy and confidence.
Cunha was particularly dangerous during this spell and set up one chance for Dorgu – that Ramsdale saved – and drove a shot of his own in to the side netting.
That sense of superiority wasn’t to last long for United. They lost Mason Mount at half-time – young Jack Fletcher coming on – and were soon on the retreat.
Newcastle defender Schar was the first to come close as he controlled a deep corner and shot for goal, the ball deflecting on to the post off Dorgu. Just after the hour, meanwhile, Hall broke from deep and his dipping shot from 25 yards struck the underside of the bar and bounced to safety. It was not a siege on the United goal but the pressure was steady enough.
Briefly the home team broke out, Sesko ambling on to a Newcastle error to launch a shot of his own against the bar. It was his last contribution as he was replaced immediately by Joshua Zirkzee.
Still the Newcastle pressure came and United survived a VAR check for a penalty with 25 minutes left. Lisandro Martinez played the ball with both hands as he sought to block another Schar contact at a corner but the fact the ball struck the side of his body first probably saved him.
It was a really good game by now and as it entered its final 20 minutes Newcastle will maybe have been wondering how they hadn’t scored. United were still dangerous on the counter and Dalot missed a good chance but on the whole they were struggling to see enough of the ball.
Newcastle’s pressure was almost constant but they just couldn’t find a way through. Woltemade’s miss was a bad one in the 85th minute while Miley’s – in added time – wasn’t much better.
Howe looked utterly crestfallen at the end and with good reason.
