3 Positives and 3 Negatives to take from Newcastle United 4 Manchester United 1 | OneFootball

Sunday afternoon’s match ended Newcastle United 4 Manchester United 1.

Ahead of each match we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives following the game.

Plenty to talk about after this one…

On this occasion it is The Armchair Fan:

POSITIVES

What a set of results for NUFC!

The race for the top five is incredibly tight at present and, after most score lines over the weekend went our way, achieving three points was absolutely crucial.

Man Utd have fallen so very far from being the team we all loved to hate in the mid-nineties but there’s still something about beating this lot that just feels extra sweet.

Once we went ahead at the start of the second half, a win was never in doubt. 4-1 is always a hammering and this was called from NUFC.

Performance

Newcastle have really hit some good form at present and the added confidence is shining through in the level of our performances.

We blew the Red Devils away over ninety minutes and were so much better than our opponents in every department.

The only mystery was how the score was level at half-time.

Play with that much confidence and we’ll be a match for anyone.

Form

That’s now five wins in a row in all competitions and four league wins in succession, as we move up to fourth in the league with a game in hand on all of the teams around us.

Wednesday night becomes huge and we now have the opportunity to move into third at the expense of Nottingham Forest who are in the process of having a little wobble having lost their last two matches. This is the perfect time to extend our run and further increase the pressure on our rivals. Keep it up lads!

NEGATIVES

Eddie Howe

The news that our inspirational manager was admitted to hospital on Friday evening, having been ill for a number of days, was deeply worrying.

Hopefully he’s on the mend and NUFC provided the perfect pick-me-up for him on Sunday afternoon.

Get well soon gaffa, we hope to see you back in no time!

Goal difference

OK, maybe I’m clutching at straws a bit here, but this was a real chance to repeat the scoreline from our glorious ‘Howay 5-0’ match in October 1996.

We hammered the reds from start to finish and 4-1 was the very least we deserved from a completely dominant performance.

Selection headache

With Antony Gordon back from suspension and Harvey Barnes in the form of his Newcastle career, who do we start with on Wednesday?

It’s proved hard to shoehorn them both into the same starting line-up this season and with our midfield boasting an embarrassment of riches, dropping anyone will be a tough choice.

Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones did a fine job in the absence of Eddie Howe at the weekend and I’m confident they’ll get it right against the Eagles, regardless of who starts.

Newcastle United 4 Manchester United 1 – Sunday 13 April 2025 4.30pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Tonali 24, Barnes 49,64, Bruno 77

Garnacho 37

(In brackets the half-time stats)

Possession was Newcastle 48% (47%) Man U 52% (51%)

Total shots were Newcastle 12 (7) Man U 9 (4)

Shots on target were Newcastle 6 (2) Man U 5 (3)

Corners were Newcastle 7 (5) Man U 2 (1)

Touches in the box Newcastle 37 (18) Man U 12 (7)

Newcastle United team v Manchester United:

Pope, Trippier (Krafth 78), Schar, Burn, Livramento, Joelinton (Longstaff 85), Tonali, Bruno (Miley 85), Barnes, Isak (Wilson 78), Murphy (Gordon 78)

Unused subs:

Dubravka, Targett, Osula, Neave

(Newcastle United 4 Manchester United 1 – Match ratings and comments on all the NUFC players – Read HERE)