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Newcastle United secured a dominant 2-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday night, their first win at the stadium since 2019. Alexander Isak and Joelinton scored early goals to give the Magpies a commanding lead, which they maintained throughout the match.
Isak’s goal, scored in the fourth minute, was his sixth consecutive Premier League goal, and it came from a well-executed header off Lewis Hall’s pinpoint delivery. The Swedish striker was left unmarked by Lisandro Martinez, United’s captain for the night, and easily headed the ball past Andre Onana.
Joelinton doubled Newcastle’s lead in the 19th minute, although there was some controversy surrounding the goal. The Brazilian midfielder appeared to score with his arm, but VAR opted not to intervene, and the goal stood. Martinez was again involved, but this time, he was unable to win the duel with Joelinton.
Manchester United struggled to gain momentum throughout the match, with Newcastle’s midfield trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, and Joelinton outperforming United’s veteran pair of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen. The Magpies’ dominance was evident in the opening 30 minutes, during which they could have scored more goals.
United manager Ruben Amorim made a tactical change after 30 minutes, introducing Kobbie Mainoo for Joshua Zirkzee. The substitution seemed to stem the flow of Newcastle’s attacks, and United began to create some scoring opportunities.
Ramsus Hojlund came close to scoring in the 35th minute, placing his effort just wide after latching onto Martinez’s pass in behind. Casemiro then spurned a gilt-edge chance on the stroke of half-time, opting for a first-time finish from Mainoo’s pass, but his effort curled harmlessly wide.
In the second half, United continued to push for a goal, but Newcastle’s defense held strong. Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt came close to scoring, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Substitute Leny Yoro also headed just wide from Eriksen’s outswinging corner.
The loss marks Manchester United’s fourth consecutive defeat under manager Ruben Amorim and three successive home defeats for the first time since March/April 1963 under Sir Matt Busby, while Newcastle’s win moves them within three points of fourth-placed Chelsea. United will look to bounce back from this disappointing result when they face Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday.
