Not only Newcastle United took sweet revenge for their Carabao Cup defeat last February to Manchester United with a 2-0 win on Sunday but also climbed over them to the third place in the Premier League table. The Magpies now carry the same points as the Red Devils with 50 points, one more than Tottenham Hotspurs in fifth. They are very much in the running to secure a Champions League place with nine games to go while the other two fear falling away from contention.
The home side entirely dominated the game in front of a euphoric atmosphere and should have taken the lead in the first half itself but for a spectacular double-save from David De Gea and Joe Willock skiing a golden opportunity to score. The 23-year-old midfielder made amends for his miss by breaking the deadlock in the 65th minute with a header after Allan Saint-Maximin brilliantly set him up inside the box. Manchester United offered little on the pitch with just one untroubled shot on target and their misery was confirmed when Callum Wilson got the sealer late in the match from a delightful cross by Kieran Trippier in a free-kick situation.
Here are all the stats and records from the match:
50 up
Newcastle United have now reached 50 points after 27 games in the Premier League this season. This is the most they have managed since the 2011/12 campaign managed by Alan Pardew. The Toons went on to finish fifth in that season. Can Eddie Howe do better?
Big Win
Newcastle United have recorded their biggest win over Manchester United since January 2012 when they beat them 3-0.
Eddie Howe gets his revenge. pic.twitter.com/fWeVBQDsoR
The 2-0 victory ended the long quest for a victory over Manchester United for Newcastle. It was their first win in the last six league meetings and their biggest one against the Red Devils in 11 years. That one ended 3-0 at Saint James’ Park in 2012 with Demba Ba and Yohan Cabaye scoring while the other was a Phil Jones own goal. They have also collected 4+ points in this fixture for the first time since 2011/12.
Terrific Trippier
Kieran Trippier has provided six assists this season which is his best tally he has ever recorded in the Premier League season. The former Tottenham Hotspurs player also has more assists than any other defender in the league this season jointly with Andrew Robertson of Liverpool. He is the first player to create more than 50 chances from set-pieces in the Premier League this season.
Clean sheet
The Red Devils did not work opposition keeper Nick Pope or the Newcastle defender in general as they would have liked. So, maintaining a clean sheet in the game became that much easier for the Magpies and they have not conceded in consecutive games of this meeting for the first time since 1997.
Same but different
Newcastle created a record by beating Manchester United with both teams sitting in the top five on the same day for only the second time in the Premier League. The other was a huge 5-0 demolition of the opponents at this venue in 1996 under Kevin Keegan.
Fourth worst in the league
Only four sides have conceded more goals away from home in the Premier League this season than Manchester United (29):
16th placed Bournemouth
19th placed Leicester
15th placed Nottingham Forest
17th placed Leeds United
pic.twitter.com/dkMTAanzyk
Only four sides have conceded more than Manchester United in away league games this season and all of them are placed in the bottom half of the Premier League table. They are namely 16th placed Bournemouth, 19th placed Leicester City, 15th placed Nottingham Forest and Leeds United who are in 17th.
Scoreless and winless
Manchester United are not only ragged defensively but are also toothless in attack over the last few games in the Premier League. Since winning the Carabao Cup, Erik ten Hag's side has failed to score or even win in such matches in contrast to their victories in other competitions in that period. They have also gone three Premier League games without scoring a goal since February 2020.
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