Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Newcastle: Red Devils Stunned by Late Drama Against 10-Man Magpies

Michael Carrick couldn’t inspire a victory against the team he supported as a boy.

Man Utd will have to go again next time. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Manchester United have been beaten under the leadership of interim manager Michael Carrick for the first time, falling 2–1 against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

Hosting, Newcastle played half the game with only 10 players after two Jacob Ramsey yellow cards before the break. An Anthony Gordon penalty quickly handed them a surprise lead, until Casemiro popped up with a head from a set piece.

But there was no stopping the 90th-minute winner from William Osula, cutting inside from the right and bending a clinical strike into the far bottom corner.

Newcastle enjoyed some early pressure and the visiting United struggled against the intensity of the pressing they faced. The Magpies had a number of opportunities in the opening 20 minutes, flashing the ball wide each time, before the fast start waned and United could gain more of a foothold.

But the contest properly burst into life in first-half stoppage time, with Ramsey sent off for picking up his second yellow—for simulation in the penalty area—and then Gordon and Casemiro finding the net at either end in quick succession.

It wasn’t a vintage start to the second half, but things picked up as the minutes ticked by. United had opportunities, including for center back Leny Yoro, saved by Aaron Ramsdale. The Newcastle goalkeeper then denied substitute Joshua Zirkzee right before Osula’s winner.

United stay third, ahead of Aston Villa, in the Premier League table, but this was an opportunity to extend the gap back to Liverpool in sixth in the race to the Champions League, after the Merseysiders lost on Tuesday. Instead, nothing has changed.

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One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Is there a case for U-turn? | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

He’s already confirmed to be leaving at the end of the season. But is Casemiro still too important for Manchester United to let go just yet?

The Brazilian takes home an enormous salary, so shedding that expense and reinvesting the resources is an obvious upside to consider. However, it’s where the balance against his impact on the pitch lies that is the most important thing.

Here, Casemiro’s surprising knack for finding the net shone through again, glancing a header beyond Aaron Ramsdale, despite accumulating just 0.06 in xG across his 61 minutes. He searched for passes to play forward, made numerous defensive contributions and was strong in the air.

Back in Manchester, Elliot Anderson scored a stunning late goal to claim a point for Nottingham Forest against Pep Guardiola’s City. The England international is rumored to be the ideal replacement, even with a price tag that could climb to $133.7 million (£100 million).

But there will be enormous pressure on whoever it may be.

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Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Newcastle (4-2-3-1)

Benjamin Šeško could not get going. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by Fotmob*

GK: Senne Lammens—6.8: Stood little chance on either goal and didn’t have to do that much else.

RB: Noussair Mazraoui—6.7: A first start since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in January and put in a hard shift. Appeared to leave the game with a knock.

CB: Leny Yoro—6.8: His game is ultimately judged on defending, but a big miss at 1–1 might have been costly.

CB: Harry Maguire—6.7: Overcame recent illness to start just hours after his retrial in Greece ended in a second conviction. Arguably hesitated as Osula was shaping to shoot.

LB: Luke Shaw—6.4: Another who passed a late assessment to make this game.

CM: Casemiro—7.3: Made an important block early on, before his headed equalizer was a remarkable 36th goal involvement since joining the club. Off after just over an hour.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo—6.7: Barely misplaced a pass but didn’t have enough of the ball in the right areas to hurt Newcastle.

RM: Bryan Mbeumo—6.5: Not his night, unusually. Guilty of firing his only shot over the bar from a good position.

AM: Bruno Fernandes (c)—8.1: Gave away the penalty when he caught Gordon in the box, yet made up for it moments later with the free kick that set up the equalizer. Created eight chances.

LM: Matheus Cunha—7.6: Asked questions of the Newcastle defense, even though the left wing is not his preferred position. Made defensive contributions too.

ST: Benjamin Šeško—5.8: Actually saw a bit more of the ball than he did against Crystal Palace, but that big chance he needed to keep his scoring run didn’t come this time.

SUB: Manuel Ugarte (61’ for Casemiro)—6.6: Saw a couple of shots blocked.

SUB: Diogo Dalot (61’ for Shaw)—6.3: Half an hour in his usual role on the right.

SUB: Amad Diallo (76’ for Mainoo)—6.1: Only managed seven touches.

SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (76’ for Mbeumo)—6.6: Had a decent late chance that was saved.

SUB: Tyrell Malacia (85’ for Mazraoui)—N/A: Just his second appearance this season.

Subs not used: Altay Bayındır (GK), Ayden Heaven, Goodwill Kukonki, Tyler Fletcher.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Bryan Mbeumo is usually much better. | Serena Taylor/Newcastle United/Getty Images

• Bruno Fernandes continues to make Manchester United tick. He was the best player on the pitch in a red shirt … again … and there are few on a par in the Premier League.
• Benjamin Šeško may have been in red-hot form coming into this midweek kickoff, but he’s not the kind of striker who will grab a match by the scruff of the neck and win it by himself. Here, the service to him wasn’t there and it showed in his lack of impact..
• This was out of character from Bryan Mbeumo, whose 6.5 is his lowest FotMob rating since the Nov. 24 home defeat to Everton (also 6.5).

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The Numbers That Explain Man Utd’s Frustrating Defeat

Man United now sit level with Aston Villa. | Alex Dodd/CameraSport/Getty Images

• Newcastle didn’t need to control the ball to win the match, ceding just over half the possession to the visitors.
• It’s not that Manchester United didn’t create opportunities—they were guilty of squandering them, crafting four ‘big chances’ but missing three of them.
• Newcastle were a little up and down, but United were actually fairly consistent across both halves, splitting their shots and chances evenly either side of halftime.

Statistic	Newcastle	Man Utd
Possession	45%	55%
Expected Goals (xG)	2.22	1.28
Total Shots	12	14
Shots on Target	5	5
Big Chances	2	4
Passing Accuracy	77%	82%
Fouls Committed	15	16
Corners	2	4

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