Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United welcomed Newcastle United to Previous Trafford for his or her English Premier League gameweek 9 conflict on Sunday afternoon (October 16). The Purple Devils appeared sluggish over the course of the match and ended up settling for a hapless goalless draw with the Magpies.
Sunday’s stalemate has left Manchester United in fifth place within the Premier League standings with 16 factors from 9 matches. They’re presently 11 factors behind league leaders Arsenal (sport in hand) and three behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
The Purple Devils loved a bustling begin to the sport, with them dispatching their first shot, by way of Fred, contained in the opening 5 minutes. Sadly, for the hosts, the Brazilian’s effort was effectively huge of the mark.
After seeing off United’s early enthusiasm, Newcastle United courageously put their our bodies ahead. Within the tenth minute, Callum Wilson drew a problem from Raphael Varane contained in the United field. The guests appealed strongly for a penalty, however the referee remained unmoved.
Within the twenty fourth minute, Kieran Trippier discovered Joelinton contained in the field with a curling cross. The Brazilian first rattled the bar after which hit the publish with back-to-back headers earlier than seeing the ball exit of play. The ensuing nook was handled simply by Manchester United’s defenders.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a few alternatives within the first half however was caught offside on each events. He discovered the again of the web three minutes into the second half, however the purpose was unsurprisingly chalked off for offside. Within the 52nd minute, Bruno Fernandes squared the ball off to Ronaldo in an encouraging space. The scenario was learn promptly by Trippier, who knocked Ronaldo off stability and stored him from pulling the set off.
A couple of minutes later, Jadon Sancho dashed into Newcastle United’s penalty space and confronted a harsh problem from Sean Longstaff. VAR checked for a doable penalty however discovered the problem to be truthful. A few minutes earlier than the full-time whistle, Fred had a golden alternative to interrupt the impasse. Nonetheless, with the purpose gaping in entrance of him, the Brazilian ended up dragging his effort huge of the mark.
It was an underwhelming efficiency by Manchester United, with them ending the evening with solely two photographs on course. Listed below are 5 gamers who didn’t dwell on top of things in opposition to Eddie Howe’s workforce on Sunday:
#5 Luke Shaw
Left-back Luke Shaw endured a quiet encounter on Sunday afternoon. Whereas he was respectable on the again, his attacking play left quite a bit to be desired. He hardly ever dashed upfield, usually dropping possession, and his supply was nowhere as threatening as United wanted it to be.
Towards the Magpies, Shaw misplaced 5 of eight duels, ceded possession 18 occasions, misplaced 12 of 58 passes, and failed in his solely dribble try.
#4 Antony
Manchester United’s marquee ahead Antony was not at his greatest on Sunday. His actions had been usually simply tracked by Daniel Burn, his distribution was poor, and his link-up play was additionally removed from passable.
Antony misplaced all six of his crosses, misplaced possession 16 occasions, failed on two of his three dribble makes an attempt, and each his tried lengthy balls had been off track. It was one in all his least influential performances since his switch from Ajax.
#3 Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes as soon as once more lower a irritating determine on the prime of the Purple Devils’ midfield. The Portugal worldwide’s actions had been predictable as he didn’t catch the opposition out together with his distribution and sometimes appeared out of concepts within the ultimate third. To prime it off, he dedicated a slipshod deal with on Bruno Guimaraes within the sixty fifth minute, selecting up a reserving.
On Sunday, Fernandes misplaced 4 of his 5 tried crosses, couldn’t lodge a single shot on course, and misplaced possession 15 occasions.
#2 Fred
Probably the most skilled midfielders on the workforce, Fred lacked composure, agility, and intelligence in opposition to Newcastle United on Sunday. He squandered two very respectable alternatives to attain, first within the third minute, then once more within the 88th minute. He additionally misplaced possession cheaply, was weak within the duels, and dedicated a few fouls.
The Brazil worldwide misplaced 9 of 12 duels, ceded possession 16 occasions, and didn’t lodge any photographs on course (4 makes an attempt). Given how poorly he carried out, he was fortunate to have the ability to end the sport.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Every week after scoring his 700th membership profession purpose (2-1 win over Everton), Cristiano Ronaldo produced a horrendous efficiency within the pink jersey. He was hesitant to take defenders on, usually dropped too deep, and was caught offside means too usually, seeing a purpose disallowed.
Ronaldo’s response to being subbed off in opposition to Newcastle: https://t.co/7pyIICKNwe
The Portuguese celebrity made solely 11 correct passes (57.9% accuracy), had only one shot (off track), and misplaced the one aerial duel he contested for. The ahead was additionally booked for making an attempt to steal Newcastle’s free kick and discovering the again of the web within the forty ninth minute.