Dorgu's first-half rocket downs wasteful Magpies and lifts United up to fifth
WORTH THE WAIT: Manchester United's Patrick Dorgu celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire
NO Bruno Fernandes? No problem for Manchester United as Ruben Amorim might just have stumbled on the most simple of solutions to his side's infuriating inconsistency.
The answer to the Old Trafford supremo's quandary? Round pegs for round holes. Who'd have thought?
In the absence of injured skipper Fernandes, Amorim sprang a tactical surprise with an unexpected formation that left Eddie Howe scratching his head on his 200th game in charge of the Magpies. A flat back four from the start was the base for a first-half that saw Patrick Dorgu thrive with his first goal as he approaches 12 months at Old Trafford.
Amorim lost some of the brownie points accrued with more than one curious second-half substitution which resulted in the hosts having to hang on to seal a first home win for two months.
Newcastle joined Sunderland in becoming the only sides to fail to score against Manchester United this season — is it a North-East thing? — to leave them with one win in the last 11 away games and a paltry tally of six points on the road this term.
On what was, scandalously, the Premier League's only fixture on what was used to be a St Stephen's Day set in stone on the fixture list, the sides traded decent openings at early corners.
Casemiro might have done better when heading off target from a set piece for the hosts, before Senne Lammens did well to keep out a glancing close-range Bruno Guimaraes header at his near post.
Newcastle were so perplexed by their opponents' change in formation that goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was told to feign injury to halt play and allow Lewis Hall to run on messages from Howe on how to repel the unexpected 4-2-3-1 line-up sent out by Amorim.
Whatever those instructions were, they didn't work as Amorim's side, deservedly given the run of play, took a 24th-minute lead to leave Newcastle without a clean sheet in the past 11 matches going back to early October.
Nick Woltemade could only head Diogo Dalot's long throw into the area up rather than out. Dorgu, on his 38th's appearance for the club, left a lethargic Jacob Ramsey trailing to send it back with interest from 15 yards as his sweetly-timed first-time volley found the bottom corner despite Ramsdale getting a firm hand to the fizzing effort.
It was the perfect way for the Dane, revelling in an opportunity to operate in his favoured right wing role as opposed to the left wing-back he has been shoe-horned towards, to belatedly open his goal account following a £25m move in February from Italian side Lecce, where his previous three goals had all arrived playing on the right of midfield.
Only a smart save low to his right from the increasingly employed Newcastle keeper prevented Dorgu from doubling his and his team's tally.
Half-time allowed the visitors further valuable opportunity to regroup and they started the second period in more impressive fashion, forcing a flurry of corners which led to Fabian Schar almost equalising when peeling off at the far post to fire in a shot that was deflected narrowly wide.
Both crossbars were struck as Hall's thunderous effort came back off the underside of the frame of the goal shortly after Benjamin Sesko struck Newcastle's. It was the Slovenian's last act before being taken off alongside Casemiro in another Amorim reshuffle which this time left his team looking rather less comfortable with.
Anthony Gordon should have taken advantage of the reorganising hosts but fired across the face of goal.
Dalot should have sewn it up inside the final 20 minutes when he ghosted in between Schar and Hall at a free-kick pumped into the box but fired wastefully over when it appeared easier to score.
When Gordon skied an inviting cut-back from substitute Harvey Barnes and Lewis Miley did something similar shortly afterwards, Newcastle knew the game was up as the hosts, not without alarm, remained undefeated at home on December 26 since 1978.
Lammens 6; Diogo Dalot 7, Martinez 7 (Fredricson 88, 6), Heaven 7, Shaw 7 (Malacia 88, 6); Casemiro 6 (Yoro 61, 6); Ugarte 6, Dorgu 8, Mount 6 (J Fletcher 46, 6 ), Matheus Cunha 6; Sesko 6 (Zirkzee 60, 6). Booked: Shaw, Cunha.
Ramsdale 5; Miley 5, Thiaw 5, Schar 5, Hall 7; Tonali 5 (Willock 77, 6), Bruno Guimaraes 6, Ramsey 4 (Joelinton 68, 6); J Murphy 6 (Barnes 68, 6), Woltemade 5 (Wissa 68, 6), Gordon. Booked: Tonali.
Anthony Taylor
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