As the saying goes, ‘All is well that ends well for him.’ The end of the year was just like that for Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United. The Red Devils made a royal rise in the English Premier League points table by defeating Newcastle United 1-0 at Old Trafford.

​Newcastle in possession, United in possession of goals

​Looking at the match statistics, it may seem that Newcastle was dominating. They launched 13 attacks with 66 percent possession of the ball. On the other hand, Manchester United, who had only 34 percent possession of the ball, showed a masterclass in ‘counter-attack’ football. Amorim’s disciples managed to handle the opponent’s attack and hit the right shot at the right time.

Dragu magic and the taste of the first goal

​The Theatre of Dreams erupted in jubilation in the 24th minute of the match. Newcastle’s defense struggled to handle a bullet-speed long throw from Diogo Dalot. Patrick Dragu took control of the ball and hit the net with a bullet-speed shot. The Danish star’s first goal of his United career went down in history as the winning goal in the last match of the year.

​Newcastle’s regret and Ramsdale’s wall

​Bruno Guimaraes tried hard to get back into the match. When Lewis Hall’s shot hit the goal bar in the 62nd minute, Newcastle fans were worried. On the other hand, if Aaron Ramsdale had not made a superhuman save under the goalpost, Dragu and Queer’s shots could have increased the gap even further. In the end, the Red Devils left the field with a 1-0 lead.

New Hope in the New Year

Manchester United are confident after securing three points with this win. This match proved that the team is slowly returning to winning ways under Ruben Amorim.