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Jamie Jackson was at Old Trafford tonight. Here\u2019s his match report. Thanks for reading this MBM. Enjoy what\u2019s left of Boxing Day!<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ruben Amorim talks to Sky. \u201cWe had to suffer all together in the stadium \u2026 the game was really difficult \u2026 a good first half \u2026 the second we defended \u2026 we had our opportunities with transitions \u2026 it was a good win but I had so many games here saying we played really well and we didn\u2019t get the three points, today was the opposite \u2026 we suffered but managed to win the game \u2026 in the first half, the only way to create more danger, to have more opportunities was with a back four and a lot of guys inside \u2026 I remember the game from last year \u2026 so we tried to imagine the game and help the players to feel comfortable \u2026 you put [Dorgu] more in front \u2026 his responsibility is not the same \u2026 more freedom \u2026 it helped Patrick to play better.\u201d<\/p>\n He also reports that Mason Mount \u201cfelt something at half time \u2026 he wanted to go but we cannot lose more players \u2026 Jack [Fletcher] did a very good job \u2026 he is humble \u2026 works really hard \u2026 he deserves this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026 and as for using the kids: \u201cI understand the history of the club \u2026 I want to be part of that \u2026 but sometimes you just need to choose the best players \u2026 today was the opposite \u2026 many games we put players from the academy because we had to \u2026 and because they deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n Then a knowing zinger to end the interview: \u201cClean sheet, back four \u2026 I don\u2019t need a press conference \u2026 Kobbie Mainoo is injured, so all the subjects [are covered] and we can go home to enjoy Boxing Day!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A downcast Eddie Howe speaks to Sky. \u201cSecond half was a lot better than the first \u2026 but we didn\u2019t do enough \u2026 it wasn\u2019t through a lack of effort \u2026 we were very dominant \u2026 if we scored we could go on and win the game but it didn\u2019t happen \u2026 hugely disappointing \u2026 we started well \u2026 we were slightly rocked by the goal \u2026 we didn\u2019t respond well to that moment \u2026 a bit disappointed at half-time with our inability to grab hold of the game \u2026 I don\u2019t think it was a tactical issue \u2026 we didn\u2019t look as physically good as we did against Chelsea \u2026 we dominated the ball but it was just the goal that was missing \u2026 we\u2019re disappointed with how we defended the goal \u2026 and [our] final finish \u2026 we wanted the ball in play more \u2026 a longer game \u2026 they managed the game well from their perspective but they were allowed to \u2026 we\u2019ll make an assessment on [Nick Pope] for the next game.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Patrick Dorgu talks to Sky Sports \u2026 \u201cIt was a good hit \u2026 I didn\u2019t know I could do that \u2026 I was very happy to score my first goal in this stadium \u2026 it was amazing \u2026 [Ruben Amorim] told me to work on my confidence \u2026 I did well today \u2026 I just looked at the ball, saw it drop, and hit it \u2026 I\u2019ve been practising in training and that\u2019s what helped me \u2026 when we get players back we will be even stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026 as does the excellent and extremely promising Ayden Heaven, who has been named player of the match. \u201cFinally a clean sheet \u2026 we\u2019ve been waiting for it a couple of weeks \u2026 I\u2019m so happy \u2026 I\u2019m thankful for everyone that helped us \u2026 I was playing on the right side \u2026 my weaker foot \u2026 we have played loads of formations with the manager, and whatever he does, we know it\u2019s gonna work \u2026 I\u2019m just so proud of the team \u2026 as Manchester United<\/a>, we belong in Europe and want to get back there next season \u2026 we can push for the top four, possibly win the league, anything is possible \u2026 we just want to keep trying.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Manchester United\u2019s team at the final whistle: Lammens, Dalot, Yoro, Heaven, Fredricson, Malacia, Ugarte, Jack Fletcher, Dorgu, Cunha, Zirkzee. You\u2019d have got a good price had you\u2019d permed that eventuality at your local turf accountant.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n That was a real curate\u2019s egg of a performance by Manchester United<\/a>. They were the better team in the first half, but a slew of slightly strange substitutions and tactical tweaks led to their being really up against it for pretty much the entirety of the second period. Newcastle enjoyed 66 percent possession, and took 16 shots at goal to Manchester United\u2019s nine. But only three were on target, which explains why, when it all comes down, while they edged the xG, they only did so by 0.01 (1.17 to 1.18). They\u2019ll be dismayed by their failure to score against a defence that was at times all over the shop thanks to personnel and tactical approaches various. Manchester United managed to notch a belter, though, with its scorer, the all-action Patrick Dorgu, surely their player of the match. The men in red are delighted, having snapped a frustrating winning run at Old Trafford to rise to fifth place in the Premier League.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>FULL TIME: Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle United<\/p>\n Manchester United flop over the line, and Old Trafford erupts in festive fervour. Ruben Amorim, eyes to the turf as he walks, heads straight for the tunnel.<\/p>\n Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha (right) and Lisandro Martinez celebrate their teams win over Newcastle. Photograph: Dave Thompson\/APWhilst Newcastle\u2019s Anthony Gordon looks dejected. Photograph: Martin Rickett\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.19 EST<\/p>\n 90 min +6: Gordon and Hall try to combine down the inside-left channel, but overcomplicate things, and Dorgu is able to scamper up the other end, eating up precious seconds. Manchester United<\/a> so close now to fifth place!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90 min +5: Gordon crosses from the left. Too high. Too long. He wears the look of a man who knows the jig is up. It\u2019s not going to be Newcastle\u2019s night. They\u2019ve pushed and pushed, but the final ball has been constantly lacking.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90 min +4: Gordon sends one in from the left. Lammens goes up again and claims again, but only after losing it in the first instance, and being rather fortunate Miley couldn\u2019t control the dropping ball. Not so superb, but he gets the job done.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90 min +3: Guimaraes floats a diagonal into the Manchester United<\/a> from the right. Lammens comes through a crowded box to claim. That\u2019s superb goalkeeping in these circumstances.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90 min +2: Cunha is booked for a late clatter into the back of Hall. Play is stopped for that administrative work, and Hall isn\u2019t happy because he wanted the move to continue. Cunha isn\u2019t particularly pleased, either, and pushes his luck by getting up in the referee\u2019s grille. He wants to watch himself here.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90 min +1: There will be seven additional minutes, and the first goes by without incident.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90 min: Gordon sends Hall into space on the left. He reaches the byline and cuts back for Miley, who aims for the top-left corner but sends his shot over the bar. He might have been better driving that low and hard. The shot he took on was high-tariff.<\/p>\n Newcastle United’s Lewis Miley shoots but can\u2019t find the target. Photograph: Phil Noble\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.59 EST<\/p>\n 89 min: Schar clanks a header over the bar. Newcastle have been very impressive in this second half \u2026 up until the final ball or the effort on goal, in which case they\u2019ve distinctly underperformed. And time is now most certainly not on their side.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 88 min: Martinez and Shaw, neither injured if their slightly befuddled looks are anything to go by, make way for Malacia and Fredricson.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 87 min: Miley crosses from the right and hits Dorgu flush in the face. Dorgu goes down, and as play stops, Martinez makes sure he doesn\u2019t hurry to get back up.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 85 min: Guimaraes slips a pass down the inside-right channel for Barnes, who cuts back for Gordon. Gordon leans back and flays deep into the stand behind. Wissa was free, six yards out, to his left. But the hosts can\u2019t get out. Manchester United<\/a> started this game with a back four. They\u2019re now, as Sky commentator Gary Neville observes, effectively playing with a back six. \u201cAmorim deserves to lose this game with bizarre subs that have left Manchester United all over the place,\u201d argues Tim Stappard.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 83 min: The only team to have failed to score against Manchester United<\/a> this season in the Premier League are Sunderland. Newcastle are seven minutes plus stoppages away from doing their bit for north-east solidarity.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 82 min: Cunha dribbles upfield on a rare Manchester United<\/a> sortie. He drags a weak shot across Ramsdale and wide of the right-hand post. Newcastle go up the other end, but Willock\u2019s cross-cum-shot from the right is easily snaffled by Lammens.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 80 min: Guimaraes rolls Gordon into the area down the left. Gordon checks to sit Dalot down, then cuts back for Joelinton, who doesn\u2019t have time for any backlift, and prods with uncertainty towards the bottom left. Easy for Lammens. Newcastle should have created a better chance from that, with their hosts all over the shop at the back. Gordon\u2019s pass not the greatest.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 78 min: Miley loops the corner into the mixer. Lammens goes off to meet it and flaps, missing the ball altogether. Dorgu manages to hack clear from a crowded six-yard box, then the whistle rather generously goes for a nudge by Gordon on Lammens.<\/p>\n Manchester United\u2019s keeper Senne Lammens gets away with a flap. Photograph: Adam Vaughan\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.51 EST<\/p>\n 77 min: Tonali is replaced by Willock. The game restarts and Guimaraes drives down the left, winning a corner off Cunha. Miley to take.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 75 min: First Hall, then Gordon. Both tear down the left, neither can find anyone with their low cross. Manchester United<\/a> are living very dangerously. \u201cNewcastle fan here and, while I\u2019d have loved that to be given, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a pen,\u201d admits John Davis. \u201cRef doesn\u2019t give it on field and it hit his side and bounced off before he almost accidentally caught it. DEFINITELY given in Europe (see Tino against PSG). Argh.\u201d<\/p>\n That email had the genuinely delightful subject: \u201cPenalty shout – polite disagreement.\u201d The internet should take notes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 73 min: Tonali shoves an in-flight Dorgu in the back as the pair chase a ball up the Manchester United<\/a> left. He goes into the book. Directly from the restart, Martinez swings long into the Newcastle box. Hall and Schar stand stock still, allowing Dalot to nip in from the right, poke into space, and \u2026 hoick a dreadful shot over the bar with only Ramsdale to beat. It should be 2-0.<\/p>\n Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot (left) lifts a shot over Newcastle’s goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale \u2026 Photograph: Dave Thompson\/APAnd also the bar. Photograph: Martin Rickett\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.57 EST<\/p>\n 72 min: Wissa wins a header in the Manchester United<\/a> box to tee up Joelinton, but the big midfielder can\u2019t get any purchase on his shot as he falls backwards.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 71 min: Manchester United<\/a> haven\u2019t looked good since the double substitution. \u201cI hope Chris Paraskevas checked in on the neighbour\u2019s sheep at half-time,\u201d writes Justin Kavanagh. \u201cThe Magpies have obviously been told to go out and prove that this United team are mutton dressed as lamb.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 69 min: Newcastle make a triple change, replacing Woltemade, Murphy and Ramsey with Joelinton, Wissa and Barnes. Then at the restart, Shaw is booked for taking way too long over a throw. The atmosphere is pretty tasty now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 67 min: Murphy dinks Gordon into the Manchester United<\/a> box down the inside-right channel. Gordon should work Lammens at the very least, but drags a shot across the face of goal and harmlessly out of play for a goal kick.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 66 min: Newcastle aren\u2019t particularly happy, as you\u2019d expect. To be fair to Martinez, he was very close to Schar, had his back half-turned, and was wrestling with Thiaw at the time. And still \u2026 he nearly caught the ball. You can make a case for it either way, I guess, though one thing is certainly true \u2026 the officials are making it up as they go along. It\u2019s semantics: the parlour game. That\u2019s got the crowd going, though.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.27 EST<\/p>\n 64 min: Newcastle win a corner on the left. It\u2019s swung long. Schar takes a whack from a tight angle. The ball cannons off Martinez\u2019s chest, and into both of his arms. He almost catches it! But VAR denies Newcastle the penalty, because Martinez was engaged in \u201cmutual contact\u201d with Thiaw at the time. Manchester United<\/a> get away with a huge one there. Nobody knows anything, the officials are making it up as they go along.<\/p>\n Mutual contact, hmmm. Photograph: Stu Forster\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.35 EST<\/p>\n 62 min: Hall strides in from the left and unleashes a dipping screamer that beats Lammens all ends up, but instead of planting into the top right, caroms off the crossbar. What an effort that was!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 61 min: \u2026 and that\u2019s Sesko\u2019s last kick of the game. He\u2019s replaced by Zirkzee, while Yoro comes on for a surprised and not particularly impressed Casemiro.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 60 min: Ugarte nicks the ball off Guimaraes and plays Sesko into space down the left. Sesko enters the box and sends a rising lash towards the top-left corner. It pings off the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick. He looked offside initially, but replays show Hall on the far side playing him on. So close to number two.<\/p>\n Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko clatters a shot against the woodwork. Photograph: Phil Noble\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.26 EST<\/p>\n 58 min: It\u2019s all Newcastle in terms of possession \u2026 but they\u2019re getting absolutely nowhere in the final third. Manchester United<\/a> are sitting back and inviting pressure, and yet look pretty comfortable dealing with it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.18 EST<\/p>\n 56 min: Guimaraes whistles a pass down the inside-right channel for Miley \u2026 but overhits it woefully. Out it goes for a corner. Guimaraes cocks his head back in disappointment and frustration. It\u2019s been a lot of effort this evening for not very much.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 54 min: The action areas flashed up by Sky show 58 percent of this half has been played in Manchester United\u2019s final third. But Lammens hasn\u2019t had that much to do. Now he plucks an aimless Gordon cross out of the sky.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 52 min: The next corner is half-cleared by Dorgu, who is tonight\u2019s leading man. Then another corner, swung in from the right and a complete non-event. Manchester United<\/a> finally get some relief. Newcastle have started this half very well.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 51 min: \u2026 and it nearly costs them. The corner\u2019s flicked on to Schar, who shoots from a tight angle at the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. The ball pings off the heel of Dorgu, who doesn\u2019t know where it\u2019s heading. It flies wide right of the post. Had it been on target, Lammens wasn\u2019t stopping it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 50 min: \u2026 and now Murphy wins a corner down the same flank. Manchester United<\/a> don\u2019t really deal with it, and Gordon wins another on the left. Miley will come over to take this one. Manchester United haven\u2019t turned up for the second half yet.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 48 min: Miley powers his way down the right touchline, refusing to succumb to either Cunha or Shaw, the former all over his back, the latter clattering clumsily into him. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick, but Newcastle look like a side who have been issued a half-time what-for.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 47 min: A fast start to the half by Newcastle nearly pays dividend. Guimaraes pings a pass down the middle for Woltemade, who cushions a backheel into the path of Ramsey, cutting in from the left. One lovely touch takes him past Casemiro, and he lines up for a shot from the edge of the D. He\u2019s got time to size it up \u2026 but somehow stumbles over his own feet and the chance is gone! That could have been a lovely team goal as well.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Manchester United get the second half started. Jack Fletcher, son of Darren, replaces Mount. His twin brother Tyler watches with pride from the bench.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Half-time postbag. \u201cNo question that Patrick Dorgu has been the player of the first half, even apart from that great volley. Meanwhile, the Pope will be feeling infallible about that phone call, and several Newcastle players look like they\u2019ve been kept awake all night by neighbourly livestock\u201d \u2013 Justin Kavanagh<\/p>\n \u201cSat on the sofa, sweating off the overindulgences of yesterday (Port. Why?) I\u2019m struggling to come to terms with a lot of things, among them Dorgu\u2019s immaculate performance. It reminds me of the younger members of my family haring around the table after polishing off the Quality Street, After Eights, etc. Boundless energy, like a force of nature. Do they test for toffee-penny intake post-match at Christmas?\u201d \u2013 Rob Knap<\/p>\n \u201cCaptaincy to Martinez, good choice, could be Mount or Casemiro, all of which show the determination and understanding needed. I\u2019m not a fan of Fernandes as captain, he doesn\u2019t seem to set a good example as a team player regardless of his sometime excellent play\u201d \u2013 Martin Lancon<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a fascinating tactical set up by Eddie Howe and Mad Dog Tindall: in the absence of Man U\u2019s only competent footballer, we\u2019ve managed to make Dorgu look like prime Roberto Carlos. We might as well sub the neighbour\u2019s sheep on at half-time as a defensive midfielder\u201d \u2013 Chris Paraskevas<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Today\u2019s half-time entertainment comes in the shape of an eight-goal rollercoaster. Well, it is Boxing Day after all. Other sporting action is available.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>HALF TIME: Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle United<\/p>\n It\u2019s been fast and furious, the difference being Patrick Dorgu\u2019s exquisite volley. A fair to middling chance of more tactical tweaking coming up from both managers.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45 min +3: Newcastle ping it around in the patient style. Eventually Murphy sends another good cross in from the right, but once again there\u2019s nobody there in black and white to convert.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45 min +1: \u2026 so on comes the physio. Tonali looks fine to continue, if not particularly happy about the challenge.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45 min: There will be a minimum of two minutes added time \u2026 but Tonali has gone down, having been caught on the ankle by Sesko. The challenge looked accidental, but that will have hurt.<\/p>\n Ouch. Photograph: Martin Rickett\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.51 EST<\/p>\n 43 min: Guimaraes rolls another cute pass down the right. This time it\u2019s for Miley, who doesn\u2019t anticipate, allowing Martinez to usher the ball out for a goal kick. Had he been on the front foot, Manchester United<\/a> might have been in trouble.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 41 min: Guimaraes finds Murphy in space down the right. Murphy sends a forensic low cross along the corridor of uncertainty. The smallest prod would surely divert the ball goalwards, but Woltemade is too busy wrestling with Heaven and the chance goes begging. That cross had goal written all over it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 40 min: The speed of the match is suddenly cranked up to 101 miles per hour. Nobody can keep hold of the ball.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 38 min: Ramsey clanks a simple pass out of play, much to the home crowd\u2019s amusement. Newcastle have been shaken by the double whammy of Amorim\u2019s surprise formation and Dorgu\u2019s blockbuster. All of a sudden, they\u2019re making the simple stuff look extremely difficult.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 36 min: Dorgu and Cunha one-two their way down the inside-right channel. A slightly lucky deflection takes Cunha into the box, where he slices a wild shot miles wide of the right-hand post. Sesko in the middle will be asking questions.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 34 min: \u2026 well, for a matter of seconds, because here come Manchester United<\/a> again. Dorgu romps down the right and enters the box, before arrowing a low shot towards the bottom right. Ramsdale gets down well to parry clear. Newcastle, so poised for the best part of quarter of an hour before the goal, are now struggling to get out of their final third.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 33 min: Cunha is looking lively, and he drives down the left to win another Manchester United<\/a> corner. Mount hoicks it into the mixer. Miley bangs a header clear \u2013 a proper clearance, miles upfield, Woltemade take note \u2013 and then the whistle goes for too much pushing and shoving. The pressure on Newcastle is released.<\/p>\n