Embarrassing. Absolutely, utterly embarrassing 😳!
Like, how could ten men Newcastle beat that shite just 2-1?!
Whilst that is sarcasm, there is a tinge of truth to it because they were the team that looked to be a man up and deserved to win.
United reverted to default settings in this one as they didn't show up against an opponent who had lost their last three home games.
There was nothing from that performance that showed any desire, passion, fight or intensity to suggest that these players were what Carrick said: hungry for more.
The game itself was actually entertaining: both attacking regularly, a couple of good chances, some good saves, a great winner, a penalty, a red card.
Can't really ask for more than that tbh.
But from a United perspective, WOW!
To be that poor and deserve to lose to ten men is criminal. It was so bad it almost makes you forget that this is the second time that this has happened this season!
Newcastle were the better team throughout as they showed more energy than us.
It started off with an early cross for the home side that ended up hitting the post. That sort of set the tone for what was to come.
Newcastle had more of the ball but United grew into the game after about 20 minutes.
Cunha with a wild shot that proved to be our best chance in that opening period.
And then, added time.
So much unfolded in this short period, it could be a game in itself!
The referee added 3 minutes to the end of the half. In added time, the home side get an opportunity which saw midfielder Jacob Ramsay getting onto the ball in the box. Lammens came out to meet him only for the midfielder to go down.
Most thought penalty but the referee Peter Banks, had other ideas.
After brandishing cards to four players in that half - including Ramsay - he decided to brandish another, a second yellow to Ramsay for simulation!
No penalty and Newcastle go a man down allowing United to play against ten men for the third time in eight matches under Carrick.
This didn't matter too much because not long after, captain Bruno Fernandes fouls Anthony Gordon inside the box. This time, the ref did point to the spot.
Gordon made no mistake and it looked for all the money that Newcastle would go into the break with a lead and that United were staring down the barrel of defeat to ten men once more.
However, a couple minutes later, and the away side replied.
Bruno with a free-kick from the edge of the box saw Casemiro get his head on it at the near post. It went past Aaron Ramsdale in goal and United were back level in an instant.
Casemiro with his 6th goal of the season while Fernandes upped his assist tally to 14, hunting down the all-time record of 20.
Tbh, that was the only positive.
The second half saw one side come out all guns blazing while the other looked to be playing with a man down.
But it wouldn't be the teams you thought.
Ten men Newcastle were the better side for the first 20 minutes of the second half as United appeared to be of a man disadvantage.
This just shows you what intent can do for you.
Carrick then made some changes midway through the half as Shaw was removed for Dalot and Casemiro for Ugarte.
I know. Strange subs especially given Ugarte's curse.
That did very little to affect the game and it was only his next set of substitutions that made some difference. Amad for Mbeumo and Zirkzee for Mainoo. The Dutchman with one hell of an effort in the last 15 minutes that required a super stop by Ramsdale to keep United from taking the lead.
He also made a brilliant save from Yoro who's close-range header required quick reactions from Newcastle's goalie to keep things level.
Those were the only real chances as while Mbeumo missed a couple when he was on and Ugarte had a header that went just over the bar, United didn't do anywhere near enough to win.
Carrick was then forced into another late change as an injured Mazraoui was removed for the forgotten man: Malacia.
If you thought bringing Ugarte on was bad...
Malacia hasn't really played football in two years given his recent horrendous injury record.
And boy, did that show 👀.
A sloppy pass that went into touch killed some of our attacking momentum was a sign that this guy was just not at the races.
On Newcastle's goal-winning breakaway, we saw an even bigger sign that maybe this guy's days at United should be over.
Hardly having the pace to keep up, Malacia was struggling to get tight to William Osula who then easily cut in on his left foot and buried the ball into the bottom corner with a sumptuous curler that left Lammens stranded.
A finish worthy of winning any game 👏.
And so ended the game as well as Carrick's unbeaten run as interim. This defeat paired with Chelsea's victory over Villa meant that the gap to 6th is now just 3 points. United play Villa next.
You have to question Carrick and his tactics, lack of in-game management, weird substitutions and being outclassed by Eddie Howe and his ten men.
It's another game where he's faced a side with a man down for a large portion of the game yet his side failed to put in a performance that would indicate they are the real deal.
This loss has caused Carrick to lose some of his backers for the permanent job.
Ratings
Lammens - 6
Mazraoui - 6
Yoro - 6
Maguire - 6
Shaw - 5
Casemiro - 6
Mainoo - 5
Mbeumo - 4.5
Bruno - 6
Cunha - 5
Sesko - 5
Dalot - 5
Ugarte - 5
Amad - 5
Zirkzee - 6
Malacia - 5
Michael Carrick - 4
Final Thoughts
I am actually happy with this.
Strange thing to say after your team lost but this was the reality bite we all needed. I think a lot of people got carried away with the results and moving up into 3rd but when you break it down, the football has been sub-par.
Winning six from seven before this masked the performances and allowed Carrick to get away with it. People didn't want to have the uncomfortable conversation about how not so good we've actually been.
West Ham, Everton, Palace were all awful in terms of how we played but we managed to get results but only thanks to late goals, counter-attacking football and opposition red cards.
This Newcastle game shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. It was long in the making.
This is why I've had my reservations about Carrick from the start.
He does deserve credit for what he's done because nobody thought it would've gone this well. This is also his first defeat as United interim across two spells which is an incredible achievement.
But the football man. The football.
It's shit. It's really shit 🤣.
He's relied a lot on individuals, moments and external factors without any real tactical innovation.
The good vibes were nowhere to be seen. The late goals disappeared. No individual brilliance. And even against ten men, luck ran out.
However, it isn't all doom and gloom.
To see whether Carrick has what it takes to become the permanent boss, it's games like these that truly test his worth.
How does he bounce back will be very interesting to see.
Man Utd lose 2-1 to Newcastle | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)