Manchester United beat Newcastle United 4-1 at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in added time at the end of the first half, scoring his 119th goal for United. The Magpies equalised through Javier Manquillo in the 56th minute of the match before Ronaldo sealed his brace six minutes later. Bruno Fernandes scored a stunner in the 80th minute with Jesse Lingard getting on the scoresheet in added time at the end of the match. Paul Pogba got two assist with Luke Shaw getting the other. United will face Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. Top of the league.
The match started well for United, who immediately got on the attack with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line for his club, seeking to build on the 118 goals he has already scored for United between 2003 and 2009 before leaving for Real Madrid. United had the majority of possession but did little with it against this Newcastle side who were defending well. United have 15 shots in the first half, just three shots on target with 434 touched of the ball. The Magpies seemed to be tough to break down, despite the time spent on the ball by United. It is matches like this that will be problematic for United, despite the quality on the pitch.
The opening goal of the match came in added time at the end of the first half. Mason Greenwood had the ball when running into the box from the right. His shot on goal bounced off Freddie Woodman and Ronaldo was lying in wait just a yard out to send the ball into the back of the net. It was his 119th goal for United, 4,507 days since his last which was the opening goal against Manchester City, a 2-0 victory on the 10 May 2009. It may not have been a spectacular goal for Ronaldo’s second debut, but it put United ahead against the Magpies, which is a great start – but United needed to be more penetrative in the second half of the match.
United started to attack the Magpies from that start of the second half, but never got there with another goal before the equaliser was scored in the 56th minute of the match after Javier Manquillo beat David De Gea with an Allan Saint-Maximin assist, which took away the celebration, for a short period of time at least. Ronaldo then scored his second goal of the day in the 62nd minute, running from outside of the box to beat Woodman for the second time in this match, Luke Shaw with the assist. 120 goals for Ronaldo at United now, just with more than four and a half thousand days between goals. What a second debut for United.
In the 66th minute of the match, Solskjaer made his first substitution with Jesse Lingard replacing Jadon Sancho, who had been playing a good game in his second start for the club as he is adapting to the Premier League. The Magpies were seemingly looking dejected that they had been battled out of the match once again with Ronaldo restoring United’s lead. There were a few opportunities though, but nothing to really write home about. United extended their lead once again in the 80th minute with Greenwood on the attack, but being crowded out in the box, passing to Bruno Fernandes on the edge, who scored spectacularly from range.
It was Fernandes’ fourth goal of the season, assisted by Pogba, his sixth assist of the season – both feats achieved in just four Premier League matches so far this season. It could be a very good season for United if things continue like this. With five minutes of the match remaining, Solskjaer made a double substitution with Donny van de Beek replacing Fernandes and Anthony Martial replacing Greenwood. It was not over for United though as Lingard opened up his account this season, scoring in the second minute of added time, assisted by Pogba, his seventh assist of the season. It was a good win for United, who sit top of the league.
[player_ratings id=”114117″]
Goals: Cristiano Ronaldo 45+2′, 62′, Bruno Fernandes 80′, Jesse Lingard 90+2′; Javier Manquillo 56′
Assists: Luke Shaw 62′, Paul Pogba 80′, 90+2′; Allan Saint-Maximin 56′
Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Shaw; Matic, Pogba; Greenwood (Martial 85′), Fernandes (Van de Beek 85′), Sancho (Lingard 66′); Ronaldo
Substitutes Not Used: Heaton; Lindelof, Bailly, Dalot; Mata, Fred
Bookings: Paul Pogba 60′
Written by John Walker
