Manchester United ended the year on a disappointing note following a 2-0 Premier League defeat to Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were second-best in the opening half against the Magpies, and the visitors opened the scoring after just four minutes.
Eddie Howe’s side doubled their advantage in the 19th minute, forcing manager Ruben Amorim to consider an early substitution.
Kobbie Mainoo replaced Joshua Zirkzee in midfield in the 33rd minute. The club graduate provided more control over proceedings.
Mainoo has lacked consistency since his injury comeback, but he returned to his best yesterday with a passing accuracy of 96 percent.
The England international also made eight recoveries alongside six duels and three tackles won.
Mainoo created one big scoring chance for Casemiro before the interval, but the Brazilian completely missed the target with a poor shot.
He was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch. The midfielder received a 7/10 rating from Manchester Evening News for his stand-out display.
The 19-year-old started on the bench last night after an underwhelming performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the road last weekend.
Mainoo proved his credentials with a superb showing off the bench. He should be an assured starter alongside Manuel Ugarte in midfield against Liverpool on Sunday.
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen were picked to start as the midfield pairing yesterday. The experienced duo could not cope with the Magpies’ intensity.
The former had a poor outing, losing possession on 15 occasions in 64 minutes. We won’t be surprised if United seek to replace him by next summer.
United had a poor end to 2024. They face tougher assignments ahead with away trips to Liverpool and Arsenal in the league and FA respectively.
The Red Devils need to show better defensive awareness in the coming games. Amorim has a lot of work to do on the training pitch before those encounters.
Stats from Sofascore.com
Article written by Sri Aswin .
