PRIOR to playing Manchester United, Newcastle United hadn’t won a game at St James’ Park since October 2017.
Their goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was making his Premier League debut up against one of the league’s most prolific goalscoring teams, who had battered them 4-1 at Old Trafford earlier this season.
So, it was surely a game where United would stroll to three points and that’s what it proved to be – just not for the United anybody expected.
Matt Ritchie punished the visitors with a clinical finish from Dwight Gayle’s flick.
But the reality is that the game should have been dead and buried before the ball dropped to Ritchie, United were just so poor in front of goal.
United had chances galore… Anthony Martial should have scored at least one if not two with gilt-edged chances.
Alexis Sanchez had opportunities, so did Romelu Lukaku.
United didn’t struggle to create chances, it was the poor finishing which opened the door for Newcastle.
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Fingers will be pointed at Martial for his misses in particular and rightly so because he’d bury them nine times out of ten.
Had Martial been playing out on the left-hand side, I’d put money on the fact he’d have scored his one-on-one when put through by Nemanja Matic.
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But the Frenchman’s instincts are being forced to change in the new role to accommodate Sanchez.
He hasn’t got used to that yet but there’s no possible excuse for hitting Gayle twice with two shots from only a few yards out – both were dud finishes from a player who is usually so crisp.
It’s not what we’ve grown to expect from Martial this season.
However bad United’s attack was against Newcastle, they only stopped us from winning the game… our defence enabled us to lose it.
Chris Smalling deserves all the criticism he gets because I can’t see how he is still starting for United and in this situation it’s got nothing to do with scapegoating, it’s about highlighting the abundantly obvious weaknesses in the team.
Against Spurs, Smalling was brushed aside by Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
Against Newcastle, he looked more like the Maidstone United defender he once was rather than an established Premier League, international centre-back.
Every touch was nervous, every move was hesitant and most decisions were wrong.
Smalling strikes fear into me as a fan when he has the ball, what must he do for his team-mates around him?
United have spent £600m+ since Fergie retired on new players, so how can our centre-back partnership still be Smalling and Jones?
If Eric Bailly had been fit he would certainly have started but what about Marcos Rojo and Victor Lindelof? Both should be in the team ahead of Smalling.
Jose Mourinho has got to recognise that United being the best defence in the league is more to do with the outstanding David de Gea and Matic’s protection rather than anything our centre-backs are doing.
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We will never win the Premier League and Champions League again with Smalling and Jones at the heart of our defence.
Huddersfield are next in the FA Cup and with the Premier League out of reach and winning the Champions League an unthinkable task if the Newcastle performance is anything to go by, expect Mourinho to put out his strongest possible team this weekend.
Smalling simply has to be dropped, there’s no two ways about it and Paul Pogba needs a rest so Scott McTominay should come straight back in.
Resting Matic wouldn’t be a bad move either with Michael Carrick now fit again. Luke Shaw for Ashley Young is also a logical and needed switch.
United are misfiring on occasions this season and firing on all cylinders in other matches.
But until performances like Newcastle are halted, we’re not going to compete in the Premier League or Champions League.
…And those two titles are all that can make Mourinho’s time at United a proper success in the next couple of years.
There’s lots more work to do for the Portuguese boss.
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