Man Utd slip to 10th defeat of season as Erik ten Hag rages - 5 talking points

02 December 2023 , 22:00

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Man Utd slip to 10th defeat of season as Erik ten Hag rages - 5 talking points

Newcastle ran out 1-0 winners against Manchester United and leapfrogged them in the table, but could have had plenty more.

The Magpies welcomed Erik ten Hag's men to a snow-dusted St. James' Park and started the better side. United struggled to get to grips with the pace of the game during the opening exchanges. Alexander Isak's effort from close range deflected wide in what was the best chance of the first 20 minutes.

Kieran Trippier rattled the frame of the goal after a sensational free-kick that left Andre Onana rooted to the spot as Newcastle continued to knock on the door, but both sides went in at the break level. United managing to keep their hosts out for 45 minutes was a shock, but can only be put down to some wasteful finishing from Eddie Howe's side.

The second-half started in similar fashion, but 10 minutes after the interval Anthony Gordon fired home from close range after a fantastic driven pass from Trippier. To say anything other than the goal had been coming for some time would be a disservice to Newcastle's dominance.

Goalkeeper Nick Pope had so very little to do but added to Howe's lengthy injury list after sustaining what looked like a shoulder problem. He was replaced by former United loanee Martin Dubravka.

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United thought they had salvaged a point late on when Antony's deflected effort ended up in the back of the net. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, it had struck an offside Harry Maguire on the way in.

The result sees the Geordies move into fifth, two points behind Aston Villa in fourth who have played one game less. As for United, Ten Hag's side are now seventh, two points behind Tottenham having played one game more. It marked their 10th loss of the season already across all competitions.

Mirror Football has analysed five talking points from a dominant Newcastle display.

1. Touchline tantrums

Anthony Martial and Erik ten Hag clashed during the game

While the television cameras were nearly permanently focused on United's goal, such was Newcastle's dominance, an on-pitch spat between Anthony Martial and manager Erik ten Hag was unfolding. It looked like the France international had enough of Ten Hag's instructions and responded in frustrated fashion.

The United boss had spent a lot of the first-half issuing orders to his front-line as they failed to get involved anywhere near as much as they'd have liked. With just over half an hour played, Martial lost his rag and barked back at his boss, who was annoyed with the effort in his striker's defensive work.

Around 15 minutes earlier, Ten Hag had lost his cool with his forward but soon shifted his focus to other players. The second time around it became a shouting match between striker and manager very quickly. It serves as a reminder for how the current crop of Red Devils, both players and staff, might be feeling the pressure.

2. Anthony Gordon's fine form

Anthony Gordon netted the all-important Newcastle goal

His Newcastle career may have started slowly following his mega-money move from Everton, but Gordon is now a fully-fledged reliable match-winner for the Magpies.

Gordon has proven in rather emphatic fashion that he is a man for the big occasion this term, with four of his six league goals coming against Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and now United.

This latest effort displayed his attacking nous, ghosting in at the back-post to lash home from Trippier's intelligent cross. Gordon has certainly played his way into the hearts of the St. James' Park faithful.

3. Onana-watch

Andre Onana came in for some rough treatment from the Newcstle crowd

All eyes were on United's No.1 after his nightmare away at Galatasaray in mid-week, with the home faithful sarcastically jeering his every touch early on. The fact Diogo Dalot booted the ball into his own arm instead of trust Onana sent a message early on.

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However, the Red Devils' keeper pulled off the first big save of the night when he got down low to parry Miguel Almiron's effort away from goal. For all of the attention from the crowd, Onana stuck to his guns and played a string of risky but worthwhile passes.

There was precious little the 27-year-old could do about Newcastle's goal, though as the second-half went on Onana perhaps could have played with a tad more urgency when building United attacks.

4. Newcastle's profligate finishing

Alexander Isak was one of many Newcastle players to miss a chance

The performance from the hosts was undeniably positive and Eddie Howe will be delighted with the tempo his players operated at for much of the contest. However, regardless of the result, the Newcastle boss may have concerns over the amount of chances wasted.

Inside the first 25 minutes alone, all three of Almiron, Isak and Jamal Lascelles were responsible for firing clear-cut opportunites high, wide or straight at the goalkeeper. Almiron was the most guilty, spurning another chance shortly after once he'd created a nice opening for himself.

Eventually, they did break the deadlock, with Gordon the man of the hour. Howe will be well aware his side could and SHOULD have been out of sight long before a tense, nervy ending.

5. Rashford's (lack of) running

Marcus Rashford seemed reluctant to track back against Newcastle (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)

Few United players come under more scrutiny than Marcus Rashford, but his lack of defensive effort was clear for just about everyone to see on Saturday evening. Tino Livramento got plenty of joy down that flank due to Rashford's reluctance to follow him.

It only made the lives of both Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire harder, but Rashford tried his best to remain further forward in the hopes of a counter-attack. It's been a slow start to the season for the England international, who has bagged just two goals across all competitions.

Rashford seems devoid of confidence, but Ten Hag will not view that as an excuse for his main man to down tools defensively. It must be noted that he wasn't the only one, with fellow forwards Martial and Alejandro Garnacho guilty of slacking when getting back.

It served as little shock to see both Rashford and Martial hooked off just after the hour mark.

Josh O'Brien