Manchester United ended the year on a disappointing note with a 2-0 Premier League defeat to Newcastle United at Old Trafford yesterday.
The Red Devils were second-best in the opening half against the Magpies, and the visitors opened the scoring after just four minutes.
Eddie Howe’s side doubled their advantage in the 19th minute, forcing manager Ruben Amorim to make an early substitution.
Kobbie Mainoo replaced Joshua Zirkzee in the 33rd minute. The club graduate provided more control over proceedings.
Mainoo has lacked consistency since his return from injury, but he returned to his best yesterday with a 96 percent passing accuracy.
The England international also made eight recoveries alongside six duels and three tackles won.
Mainoo created one big scoring chance for Casemiro before the interval, but the Brazilian completely missed the target with a poor shot.
He was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch. The midfielder received a 7/10 rating from Manchester Evening News for his performance.
The 19-year-old started on the bench last night after an underwhelming showing at Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.
Mainoo proved his credentials with a superb showing, and he should be an assured starter alongside Manuel Ugarte in midfield against Liverpool on Sunday.
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen were picked to start as the midfield pairing yesterday. The experienced duo could not cope with the Magpies’ intensity.
The former had a poor outing, losing possession on 15 occasions in 64 minutes. United will seek to replace him by next summer.
United had a poor end to 2024. They face tougher assignments ahead with away trips to Liverpool and Arsenal in the league and FA Cup, respectively.
The Red Devils need to show better defensive awareness in the coming games. Amorim has plenty of work to do on the training pitch before those encounters.
Stats from Sofascore.com.
