The truth of his words can be demonstrated by looking at the statistics. Home Newcastle outshot the opponent in a ratio of 22:8, according to the metric xG (expected goals) it should have scored three times, it reached a value of 2.98. The team from Manchester was much worse with its 0.38.
“We witnessed two completely different teams. One showed combativeness, cohesion and was bursting with energy. The second had nothing at all,” added former English midfielder Jermaine Jenas. “Newcastle were far better in every respect and deservedly won,” he added shortly after.
The contrast was also evident in some individual performances. Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon was very active and decided the fate of the duel with a single goal. His counterpart, Marcus Rashford, on the other hand, confirmed that the current season has not caught him in the best mood. After an hour of play and a lackluster performance, he was pulled from the set.
At the same time, the same player paid for the support of the Red Devils last year. He scored seventeen league goals, currently only two. “He had an incredible last season. This one doesn’t fit him so well yet. But he works hard. We all realize what he is capable of,” defender Harry Maguire defended his teammate.
Coach Erik ten Hag, on the other hand, refused to comment on the decline in form of one of the key players. “I will talk about it with him, not with the media,” he retorted to the journalists present. “Most of all we have to appreciate Newcastle. They played better than us,” he admitted afterwards without hesitation.
The coach of the winners, Eddie Howe, was understandably beaming with satisfaction. “My only regret is that we didn’t decide sooner. We dominated,” he was pleased. But he also praised the performance of Gordon, the only scorer of the match. “He brings energy to the team and I’m happy that he’s been scoring goals lately.”
Thanks to a valuable triumph, Newcastle leapfrogged their last opponent in the table, they are currently fifth. The selection from the red part of Manchester, on the other hand, fell to seventh place.
