Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle United
Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United edged Newcastle United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Boxing Day to give manager Ruben Amorim three crucial points as well as a long overdue clean sheet.
United had not recorded a shutout in the Premier League since beating Sunderland in early October, which was their first of the season. The Red Devils have been showing promising signs in front of goal with a much improved scoring rate, but defensive fragility has undermined their progress at times.
The victory over Newcastle, thanks to Patrick Dorgu’s stunning first-half volley, came as Amorim deployed a traditional back four for the first time since taking the reigns at the club last November. While United did start the recent 4-4 draw with Bournemouth in a shape which often veered to a back four when centre-back Leny Yoro stepped into right-back, the win over the Magpies saw United play a clear 4-2-3-1 with Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot at full-back.
Dorgu, usually a wing-back under Amorim, was deployed higher on the right side, making him a deputy for Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo (both away at the Africa Cup of Nations) and a typical Amorim option on that side cutting in onto his favoured foot. His crisp volley from the edge of the box midway through the first half was the highlight of a match which was short on clearcut chances.
United were the better side in the first half, but suffered during a testing second period in which Newcastle dominated. The visitors’ possession count in the second half reached an almost unbelievable 78% as Amorim made a series of substitutions which appeared to invite pressure on the United goal. Nevertheless, the former Sporting man watched his side stay strong under the barrage of attacks, with young defender Ayden Heaven particularly impressive.
Plucked out of the air by Patrick 😮💨
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 27, 2025
🤝 @RemingtonUK #PlayWithStyle pic.twitter.com/4szFdtQgXD
"We all suffered together" - Amorim
With several players missing from the ranks, including captain Bruno Fernandes, the win is an important one for United, who entertain bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 30th in an encounter which should provide the chance to build momentum. For now, Amorim is encouraged to see his side successfully keep the opposition out.
“I’m really pleased,” Amorim said in his post-match press conference. “Especially in the second half, you can say we all suffered together. You can say we defended because we didn’t suffer the goal, but they had chances to score a goal. We need a little bit of luck sometimes. We did well in the first half, second half we suffered. But we managed to win.
“The feeling is good, but if you compare to other games, we suffered so much more today. But in certain moments we put everything on the line. We put our body in front of the goal, we defended every cross, we tried to push out of the box when the ball went back. That’s a good feeling to have a clean sheet, but if you look at the game we had so many games we controlled the opponents so much better. We just needed a bit of luck.
“Dorgu’s improvement? It’s the normal life of a player. Sometimes you are in a good moment, sometimes you struggle. Sometimes it depends on the team, or the game. Maybe today’s game with a lot of transitions is good for his pace and ability to drive with the ball. He played in a position where he can take more risks and that can help a player like him to not feel that responsibility all the time. So I think he did well.
“I’m really played with Ayden [Heaven]. You can feel that he’s improving every game. He’s young but you don’t feel that he has a good game and then he slows the game or his thinking during the game. No, you feel that he’s improving during the game. He was not playing, but he trained really well. You just need to train really well to be ready when the opportunity comes. At the moment, if he continues to play like that it’s going to be really hard to take his place.
“One of the most satisfying wins? Yes. Especially if you see the second half. We managed to defend. Sometimes with a back six. But we suffered together and sometimes that is a good feeling. I’m always talking about performances after games and if we can always do it like we did in this period, we are going to win so many games.”
By Sean Gillen
