Manchester United vs. Newcastle: Score and Reaction from 2015 Premier League
Manchester United played to a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Saturday, as the Red Devils’ 100 per cent start to the 2015/16 campaign was ended by Steve McClaren’s Magpies.
Newcastle spent the majority of the game on the back foot, but a remarkable defensive display gave them a deserved point at the Theatre of Dreams.
United came flying out of the blocks, seemingly rejuvenated by their 3-1 win over Club Brugge in midweek Champions League qualifying, and it wasn’t long before they carved out the first big opportunity of the match.
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Rooney was sent through one-on-one with Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul, yet his smart finish amounted to nothing with the linesman’s flag aloft. The Englishman was a little hard done by, though, as replays showed that he was onside, as Fox Sports Football revealed:
Much has been said about Rooney's form since the start of the season, yet he was looking sharp from the off at Old Trafford. He wasn’t the only one, either, as Juan Mata and Memphis Depay also came close to opening the scoring for the hosts.
Something desperately needed to change for Newcastle, but after McClaren came down from the stands to his technical area, they stepped up.
Suddenly, it was the Magpies doing all the pressing. They came perilously close to taking the lead midway through the first period.
Chancel Mbemba’s cross picked out Aleksandar Mitrovic on the penalty spot, and his header came crashing off the United bar with Sergio Romero beaten.
It was a real let-off for Louis van Gaal’s men, and former England footballer Chris Waddle said on Radio 5 live that lofting balls into the box was the perfect tactic for the Magpies, via BBC Sport: "Aleksandar Mitrovic just had to put his head on it—the pace of the cross made it a lot easier for him. Newcastle need to keep getting the ball in the box. The Man Utd defenders aren't great in the air."
The half rather petered out after that, but it was the visitors who would have gone in at the break feeling more optimistic.
As for United, a positive start turned into a slightly sluggish display. Bleacher Report UK reflected on the weary performance:
The Red Devils came out in the second half as they ended the first: lots of possession in and around the box, but very little cutting edge.
Waddle agreed on Radio 5 live, saying that Manchester United were adopting an Arsenal-esque approach:
"They could have got a couple of goals in the first 15 minutes, when Newcastle were very poor, but the problem Manchester United have is that they want to score the perfect goal. Just shoot! At the minute they are trying to walk the ball into the net.
"
It took until 75 minutes for one of those in red to oblige, as left-back Luke Shaw played a neat one-two with Morgan Schneiderlin before rifling his effort at goal, but Krul saved it comfortably.
The Dutch keeper was barely called into action throughout the second period, but you always got the sense that a clear-cut chance would come United’s way. It duly did with 10 minutes remaining, as the ball fell to Javier Hernandez in the box after Mata’s shot was deflected.
You’d have put your house on the Mexican scoring, but Krul got down smartly to keep it at 0-0—as beIN Sports revealed:
Journalist Offside Liam was one of many singing the Dutchman’s praises after such a remarkable stop, comparing him to a certain Germany international:
Still, United’s attacking was relentless, and Krul was rooted to his spot as Chris Smalling’s header came back off the post in the 89th minute with United pressing.
That’s as close as United came, though, as Van Gaal was forced to settle for a point.
While United fans will look at Saturday’s clash as two points dropped, you have to hand it to Newcastle for the way they defended. Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor were rocks at the back, while Krul handled everything United could throw at him.
The Red Devils, meanwhile, will need a big improvement if they’re to get the better of Swansea City next week. There was far too much fancy stuff around the box. Even Rooney—who never needs a second invitation to shoot—barely got an effort on goal.
Three clean sheets in as many games give United some encouragement, but they desperately need a cutting edge at the other end.
Reaction: McClaren Laments What Could Have Been; LVG Claims United the Better Side
Newcastle manager McClaren came away from Old Trafford disappointed that his side hadn't taken all three points, as he told BBC Sport:
"We're disappointed. We knew the first 20 minutes would be theirs but we grew in belief and we should have scored. The defending and discipline was superb but we really could have nicked it - we had the chances but didn't take them. We came here to have a go and put a performance in and we did that, but there's an awful lot more work to do. We're far from where we want to be and there a lot of areas we need to improve on but we'll get better as the weeks go on.
"
Meanwhile, Manchester United manager Van Gaal felt his team showed their quality in their performance:
The draw keeps United near the top of the table, with seven points out of a possible nine in their first three games. As for the Magpies, their early season struggles to find the win column continue, although McClaren's men can take more solace in this result than they could have in their first two performances.
