EPL: Man United’s woes continue with 2-0 defeat to Newcastle

Manchester United’s turbulent 2024 hit another low as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle at Old Trafford, marking their fourth consecutive loss.

The Red Devils’ boss, Ruben Amorim, now faces mounting scrutiny just two months into his tenure.

The Portuguese manager has overseen a dismal start to the Premier League campaign, securing only two wins from nine matches.

United’s current 14th-place standing, just seven points above the relegation zone, has sparked concern among fans and pundits alike.

Newcastle made light work of their opponents, with Alexander Isak and Joelinton netting within the first 19 minutes to secure the Magpies’ fifth consecutive victory and move them up to fifth in the table.

Isak’s clinical header from Lewis Hall’s cross, just three minutes into the game, opened the scoring and extended his impressive streak to six consecutive Premier League matches with a goal.

Newcastle dominated the first half, exposing United’s defensive frailties, leaving Amorim visibly stunned on the sidelines.

As the pressure mounts, Amorim will need to quickly turn United’s fortunes around to salvage what has been a forgettable season so far.

United badly missed the presence of suspended captain Bruno Fernandes as the Newcastle midfield three of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton played around the ageing duo of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen with ease.

Isak blew a huge chance to double the visitors’ lead when he fluffed an attempted dink over Andre Onana and the Swedish striker also had a goal ruled out for offside.

However, it was just a matter of time before Newcastle added a second and it arrived when Joelinton burst in to meet Anthony Gordon’s cross.

Amorim responded by replacing Joshua Zirkzee with Kobbie Mainoo after just 33 minutes – a move greeted with cheers by the frustrated Old Trafford crowd.

Tonali should have made it 3-0 when he hit the post at the end of a flowing Newcastle move through the heart of the United defence.

However, Eddie Howe’s men nearly gifted the Red Devils a route back into the game before half-time.

Rasmus Hojlund missed a glorious chance to pull a goal back when the Dane fired wide with just Martin Dubravka to beat.

Casemiro then wasted an even better opportunity after Fabian Schar presented possession to Mainoo.

Amorim’s half-time pep talk did at least muster some response as United began the second half far better.

Harry Maguire’s header came back off the post before Hall blocked De Ligt’s goalbound follow-up effort.

Marcus Rashford had been restored to the United squad for the first time in five games but remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes as Amorim turned to another outcast in Alejandro Garnacho to make a difference.

But the Argentine international was introduced just as Newcastle had ridden the storm and began to assert their control once more.

A third consecutive home league defeat for the first time since 1979 is the latest in the list of sorry statistics that have marked United’s decade of decline.

The fear for Amorim is that the losing run only looks set to continue into 2025.

A daunting trip to runaway league leaders Liverpool awaits on Sunday before United travel to Arsenal in the FA Cup third round.