The Red Devils rise in the standings, waiting for Chelsea and Liverpool. Amorin changes formation (4-2-3-1), decides the goal of the former Lecce player
Manchester United try again. He knocks on the big boys’ door again with the 1-0 win over Newcastle which allows him to join Chelsea and Liverpool in fourth place, at least momentarily, both of whom will be on the field tomorrow. He does it with a new formation, the 4-2-3-1 for which Ruben Amorim renounces that 3-4-2-1 used throughout his career which he had sworn and sworn he would never abandon. And he succeeds with a new hero, Patrick Dorgu, the former Lecce player who chooses this match to score his first goal ever with the Manchester United shirt, a splendid left-footed shot in the 24th minute following a long throw-in that the Red Devils capitalize on as a new hope. A magic is what has been missing for Newcastle, which loses for the second time in the last three games and confirms its travel sickness (just one victory in 2025-26 away from the fort of St. James’s Park). In addition to the fact that the best of the Premier League, for Sandro Tonali and his teammates, is still very far away.
the keys
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Dorgu wasn’t just the scorer of the winning goal: he was the best on the pitch. In the change of formation, Amorim moves him from left winger to right winger, the same position in which he scored his last goal, in Lecce-Venezia 1-0 on 25 November 2024. An eternity has passed since then for the 21-year-old Dane, who despite United’s difficulties has made constant progress, up to this excellent match at Old Trafford: he pushed, he scored, he defended, he moved around the pitch, finishing as a left winger. United with the new formation (a consequence of the absences, but also of the fact that after a year Amorim has understood that the great coaches are the ones who bring out the best in the players they have) are more compact and balanced, capable both of being enterprising as in the first half and of resisting the opposition’s pressure as in the second half, when Newcastle slowly takes control of the match but are unable to find an equalizer, despite the numbers in the second half saying that the Magpies shot 13 times against United’s two, put under but never really dominated. If for the Red Devils this victory is yet another search for a new beginning, the stop confirms the problems that keep Newcastle away from the top ranking: the 2025-26 version of the Magpies is a team with potential but is unable to fully express it.
the match
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The surprise for United’s 4-man defense lasts less than 10 minutes, while the surprise for Dorgu’s goal leaves a heavy impact on the match, which the Red Devils slowly take control of, so much so that the 1-0 lead at the interval is probably close to them. Amorim starts again without the injured Mount and replaces him with Jack Fletcher, one of Darren Fletcher’s two sons on the bench for the home team. Newcastle take control of the game but the match only comes alive at the turn of the 60th minute, with first Šeško’s crossbars and then Hall’s. Howe asks for help from the bench by inserting Wissa, Barnes and Joelinton, but the result, despite Newcastle’s attempts, no longer changes.
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