De Gea saves Man United from defeat against dominant Newcastle

Cristano Ronaldo watches as Edinson Cavani scores Manchester United's equaliser against Newcastle United at St James' Park. Picture: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Premier League: Newcastle United 1 Manchester United 1 

Manchester United emerged from not so much a mid-season break, more a full-blown hibernation to claim a scarcely deserved point that maintained Ralf Rangnick's unbeaten start to life at Old Trafford.

It may have only been a little over a fortnight, but it appears United don't mix well with being given a chance to put their feet up. Whatever the opposite of burn-out is, for the most part, this was it.

The Covid-enforced cobwebs from 16 days of enforced inactivity were worryingly clear as it took a late equaliser from Edinson Cavani to ensure a share of the spoils from a performance which merited little more than derision for the first hour.

Eddie Howe's game battlers should really have made the most of their opponents' lethargy, but had to settle for a fourth goal of the season from Allan Saint-Maximin, who missed a golden chance to double the advantage after the break, before joining Callum Wilson in limping off early. The loss of both or either for a significant spell will have serious ramifications on the Tyneside club's efforts to avoid the drop.

Newcastle almost snatched victory at the death, David De Gea saving brilliantly from Miguel Almiron after Jacob Murphy's effort had come back off the post in a contest where United's frustrations at their own ineptitude spilled over. The otherwise anonymous Cristiano Ronaldo was fortunate to escape with just a yellow card for an attempted tackle on Ryan Fraser in the second half.

Rangnick had overseen clean sheets in his first two matches in charge, but it took a Newcastle side freshened by half a dozen changes just seven minutes to end that miserly run.

The visitors were complicit in their own downfall in an error-strewn display, as Raphael Varane, one of two changes, was dispossessed midway inside his own half by Sean Longstaff.

The Newcastle midfielder needed little encouragement to feed the adjacent Saint-Maximin, who cut inside Diogo Dalot and Harry Maguire with ease to beat De Gea with a swiftly released rising shot into the corner of the net from 18 yards.

Rangnick had expressed concerns over his side's body language in the narrow victory at Norwich, but the Geman's message to shape up had clearly gone unheeded as they struggled to do even the basics. Passes went astray, runners went untracked.

Too many times during an abject first-half devoid of energy or urgency, tetchy reactions to officials and at times team-mates, in addition to needlessly excessive posturing, had a detrimental effect on the collective focus. As a consequence, Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka was a virtual spectator.

De Gea was rather more employed at the other end, awkwardly beating out a long-range Jonjo Shelvey effort after the midfielder had inexplicably been allowed to run 40 yards before unleashing a stinging shot.

The ever-improving Joelinton curled an effort narrowly wide from 20 yards before Wilson had the ball in the net as the interval approached following more good work from the at times unplayable Saint-Maximin.

Newcastle have been on the wrong end of some debatable decisions of late, but the assistant's flag for offside on this occasion was as swift as it was correct. It proved to be Wilson's last meaningful contribution as a calf injury forced the forward off before half-time.

For all his outstanding work, Saint-Maximin was guilty of a glaring miss with his side's first attack of the second period, when for once the twinkle-toed forward badly miscued Longstaff's cross with the goal at his mercy, allowing De Gea to scramble to safety a ball which should have been buried beyond the Spaniard.

Marcus Rashford forced a save from Dubravka before Edinson Cavani scuffed badly wide from a cross by Jadon Sancho, both players thrown on at the interval in a desperate attempt to shake the sleep-walkers from their slumber.

Still, Newcastle looked more likely to claim the contest's second goal. Fraser and Saint-Maximin both had shots beaten out by De Gea, and Murphy's cross shot flew inches wide.

Newcastle were left to rue those chances when, with 20 minutes remaining, Cavani found the bottom corner at the second attempt from close range after his initial effort from a Diogo Dalot cross came back to the South American.

Murphy rattled the upright before De Gea's stunning intervention to deny Almiron in a breathless finale as Rangnick's side secured a draw that felt more akin to a victory given what had gone on before.

For Newcastle, with relegation looming large after a single victory in the first half of their campaign, rarely has a point seemed such scant reward.

NEWCASTLE (4-2-3-1): Dubravka 7; Manquillo 7, Schar 7, Lascelles 7, Krafth 7; Shelvey 7, S Longstaff 8; Fraser 7 (Almiron 75, 5), Joelinton 8, Saint-Maximin 8 (Gayle 83, 6); Wilson 5 (Murphy 45, 6).

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-4-2): De Gea 7; Dalot 6, Varane 4, Maguire 4, Telles 4; Greenwood 4 (Cavani 46, 8), McTominay 6 (Matic 78, 6), Fred 4 (Sancho 46, 7), Fernandes 6; Ronaldo 6, Rashford 6.

Referee: Craig Pawson.