The Magpies, who had won five consecutive PL home games before tonight, were typically dominant in the first half, recording 14 shots and the majority of possession.
André Onana was forced into a good save from Miguel Almirón’s curling effort, before he was beaten by Kieran Trippier’s outstanding free-kick, only for the ball to hit the underside of the crossbar.
Alejandro Garnacho, with two goals in his last two matches including the brilliant bicycle kick at Everton, had United’s best chance, as his shot was parried by Nick Pope on the angle. And Newcastle’s dominance only continued to show at the start of the second period.
Ten minutes after the restart, they were rewarded with the breakthrough, as Anthony Gordon recorded his 11th goal contribution in the PL this season by tapping home Trippier’s cross. In turn, the right-back now has the joint-most assists in the division (seven).
Not content to sit back on their lead, the hosts continued to probe, as Aaron Wan-Bissaka brilliantly blocked Alexander Isak’s goal-bound strike from close range.
There was a heart-stopping moment at the other end though, as Harry Maguire headed in a late equaliser, but it was ruled out for offside. And any Geordie nerves would have been heightened by the sight of Pope being withdrawn five minutes from time due to injury.
All connected to the Magpies will be praying that the goalkeeper’s issue is not serious, but for now, they will be revelling in tonight’s result, which continues an excellent run of form that has now seen them win seven of their last 10 PL games.
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag will be lamenting such a poor performance from his team, after a run of five victories from their previous six league matches. The Red Devils now drop to seventh in the table, with issues on and off the pitch still a major cause for concern.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)
