Manchester United v Newcastle United (2024-25)

General

Players

Manchester United v Newcastle United (2024–25)

Manchester United Newcastle United 0 2
HT:0–2 Report
Event	Premier League 2024-25
Date	Monday 30 December 2024
Venue	Old Trafford, Manchester
Player of the Match	Alexander Isak
Referee	Simon Hooper
Attendance	73,809
Weather	8 °C (47 °F)
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Manchester United v Newcastle United was a match which took place at Old Trafford on Monday 30 December 2024.

Team News

Manchester United

Manchester United are without suspended midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte for this evening's match against Newcastle United.

Victor Lindelöf, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw remain on the sidelines for Rúben Amorim's side.

Newcastle United

Newcastle right-back Tino Livramento missed the Boxing Day win over Aston Villa due to illness but he should be available again.

Sven Botman is closing in on a first-team return but Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles, Nick Pope and Callum Wilson are still out.

Match facts

Head-to-head

• No team has lost more Premier League games since the start of December than Manchester United (4). They last lost more league games in a single calendar month back in September 1962 (5).
• Anthony Gordon scored home and away against Manchester United in the Premier League last season – no Newcastle player has ever scored in three consecutive appearances against the Red Devils in the competition.

Manchester United

• Manchester United have lost just one of their last 39 home league games against Newcastle (W28 D10), going down 1-0 in December 2013 under David Moyes.
• Manchester United lost their last game of 2023 2-1 against Nottingham Forest – they’ve not lost their final league game in consecutive calendar years since 1985 (vs Everton) and 1986 (vs Norwich).
• Manchester United have lost 3-2 against Nottingham Forest and 3-0 against Bournemouth in their last two Premier League games. They’ve not lost three league games in a row at Old Trafford since February 1979, while they last conceded 3+ goals in a three in a row at home in October 1962.
• Manchester United have lost four of their last five Premier League games, going down 3-0 against Bournemouth and 2-0 against Wolves in their last two. The Red Devils haven’t lost three consecutive league games without scoring since May 2015.

Newcastle United

• Newcastle have won two of their last three Premier League games against Manchester United (L1), as many as they had in their previous 16 against them (D4 L10).
• Newcastle haven’t won their final league game in any of the last seven calendar years (D5 L2), since beating Nottingham Forest 3-1 in the Championship in 2016. Their last such Premier League victory was in 2014 against Everton (3-2).
• Newcastle have won their last three Premier League games by an aggregate score of 11-0. They last won four in a row in March/April 2023 (5), while they last did so without conceding in April 2012.
• Alexander Isak has scored in each of his last five Premier League games, with Joe Willock the last Newcastle player to score in six in a row (a run of seven ending in May 2021). Isak has also scored 24 Premier League goals in 2024, with only Alan Shearer netting more in a calendar year for the Magpies (27 in 2002).

Match Report

Newcastle beat Manchester United in a league game at Old Trafford for only the second time since 1972 to condemn their hosts a third straight home loss in all competitions for the first time in more than 60 years.

Not since Sir Matt Busby's days in the 1962-63 season have Manchester United lost three home games in a row.

But early goals from Alexander Isak and Joelinton gave Eddie Howe's men a thoroughly deserved victory that left them fifth in an impressive end to 2024.

Newcastle have won their last four Premier League games, with the excellent Isak taking his tally to 12 and his recent strike rate to eight in six games, with six in successive games.

In contrast, the home side were abysmal.

Head coach Ruben Amorim replaced forward Joshua Zirkzee with Kobbie Mainoo in the 33rd minute, confirmation that he had got a starting line-up that paired veterans Casemiro and Christian Eriksen together in midfield hopelessly wrong.

Marcus Rashford was brought back onto the substitutes bench, but despite watching his side slide to a fourth successive defeat in all competitions and fail to score for the third game on the trot, Amorim opted against introducing the England man into the fray.

United end the year in 14th place, seven points above the relegation zone. What was once was humorous jibing about a fight to avoid the drop is now a little too close to comfort - and league leaders Liverpool lie in wait at Anfield on Sunday.

Newcastle didn't need to come up with anything radical to seize control of the match.

In an age of analysts, throw-in coaches and fitness gurus, a TV set with an ability to record would have been enough.

Manchester United's deficiencies in defending set-pieces have been highlighted in every post-match inquest since Nottingham Forest came to this stadium on 7 December and scored after two minutes with a corner dropped to the near post at edge of the six-yard area. That came in the immediate aftermath of Amorim's team conceding twice in the same manner at Arsenal.

Manchester United have conceded twice in three games direct from corners. So, when Bruno Guimaraes found Lewis Hall in space down the left, a cross was the obvious option. When Anthony Gordon cut back in a roughly similar position quarter of an hour later, he did the same thing.

On the first occasion, five home defenders were in a line. Yet Isak still got a free header to score. On the second, Joelinton outmuscled Lisandro Martinez as he jumped and the outcome was the same as Newcastle celebrated their good fortune.

It was 2-0 by the 19th minute and could have been more. Isak raced through after being left unattended by the touchline, but chipped a weak chip straight at Andre Onana. Gordon curled an effort over from the edge of the area and Joelinton blasted over after Gordon had skinned Noussair Mazraoui by the touchline.

In addition, Kieran Tripper tried to exploit United's glaring weakness by going for goal direct from a corner, which had Onana scrambling to punch away at his near post.

For Newcastle, with a Champions League place to fight for and a Carabao Cup semi-final next week against Arsenal – and the prospect of a first trophy since 1969 – the rest of the contest was about containment.

This has not always been the best season for the Magpies, but with a new year approaching, Howe has engineered his side into a very encouraging situation.

At one end of the stadium, home fans chanted their defiance in support of 'Amorim's red and white army'. At the other, Newcastle's jubilant followers sang 'say hello to Sunderland', in recognition of their great rivals' current status as a Championship club.

The idea Manchester United may end up in a relegation battle is still fanciful, but the absolute reality is Ipswich's victory over Chelsea has dragged Kieran McKenna's side to within seven points of Amorim's struggling outfit, whose glaring weakness at the most basic of English traditions, defending crosses, is having disastrous consequences game after game.

Amorim keeps saying it will get better, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already proved in the appointment and dismissal of sporting director Dan Ashworth after just five months, that he is prepared to make brutal decisions for what he may perceive as the greater good.

Zirkzee's exit was one of those. In fairness to the forward, any of the home outfield players could have been taken off at that point it had been that bad. But the Dutchman has not looked remotely like justifying the £36.5m United paid Bologna for him in the summer. But, as with so many of their players, if Amorim wanted to get rid of him during next month's transfer window, where would the buyer come from?

The former Sporting boss did see his side improve after the break - but that was not saying much after their first-half efforts.

Harry Maguire hit the post with a diving header on a night when he regained the captain's armband following Martinez's second-half substitution. Despite this, as with United on a whole, it was not an occasion Maguire will remember with any affection.

Match

Details

30 December 2024 20:00 GMT	Manchester United	0–2	Newcastle United	Old Trafford, Manchester Attendance: 73,809 Referee: Simon Hooper
		HT:0–2 Report	Isak  4' Joelinton  19'

Manchester United

Newcastle United

24 André Onana 04 Matthijs de Ligt 83' 05 Harry Maguire 06 Lisandro Martínez 65' 61' 03 Noussair Mazraoui 14 Christian Eriksen 18 Casemiro 65' 20 Diogo Dalot 16 Amad Diallo 11 Joshua Zirkzee 33' 09 Rasmus Højlund Substitutes: 01 Altay Bayındır 10 Marcus Rashford 12 Tyrell Malacia 15 Leny Yoro 65' 17 Alejandro Garnacho 65' 21 Antony 83' 37 Kobbie Mainoo 33' 43 Toby Collyer 87 Godwill Kukonki Manager: Ruben Amorim

01 Martin Dúbravka 02 Kieran Trippier 58' 05 Fabian Schär 80' 33 Dan Burn 20 Lewis Hall 39 Bruno Guimarães 08 Sandro Tonali 07 Joelinton 23 Jacob Murphy 85' 14 Alexander Isak 10 Anthony Gordon 85' Substitutes: 11 Harvey Barnes 85' 18 William Osula 19 Odysseas Vlachodimos 21 Tino Livramento 58' 24 Miguel Almirón 25 Lloyd Kelly 28 Joe Willock 85' 36 Sean Longstaff 67 Lewis Miley Manager: Eddie Howe

Man of the Match: Alexander Isak Assistant referees: Adrian Holmes Simon Long Fourth official: Andy Madley VAR: Paul Tierney Assistant VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis

Match rules 90 minutes, no extra time or penalties. Three points awarded to winner, none to loser. One point awarded to each in the event of a draw. Nine named substitutes Maximum of five substitutions

Match Stats

Manchester United	Newcastle United

Possession ball
52%	48%

Shots
10	12

Shots on target
1	4

Corners
2	3

Fouls
13	8

See also

• 2024–25 Premier League: Match day 19

External links

• Match report at BBC.co.uk
• Match report at Premier League.com

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