On Wednesday, Jan. 4, Newcastle United handed Manchester United a second straight loss with a 3-0 beating at St. James' Park. Forward Demba Ba scored the game-winning goal on a beautiful hooked shot into the far corner in the 33rd minute.
I wish I could tear apart the Red Devils' performance and blame them for the loss, but if I did, then I would be disrespecting the Magpies. Newcastle United earned this victory. Manchester United certainly didn't play their best game, but the Magpies proved why they have been in the top seven of the Premier League standings throughout the season. Newcastle United played some of the best defense I've seen from any English club this season, and they fully deserved the shutout victory.
I can't help but wonder if this loss is going to motivate manager Sir Alex Ferguson to make some rare January moves with this club. Newcastle United once again exposed two weaknesses on the Manchester United roster. The Red Devils' back line needs some help. Rio Ferdinand made a nice return from injury, but the overall defense is struggling without Nemanja Vidic.
Phil Jones has the potential to be great, but he's young and will make mistakes as we saw with his 90th minute own goal. The rest of the back line has been unsteady, and unless Ferguson takes some action soon, it's likely going to remain that way. I understand the team is ravaged with injuries, and the Red Devils should improve as they get healthier. However, the defense has been a problem at times throughout the season. I believe the back line would still have its problems even if it was completely healthy.
Meanwhile, the midfield continues to be an issue for Manchester United. One thing Newcastle United did for the entire match was outwork the Red Devils. Even though the Magpies' forwards commanded most of the attention, it was their midfielders who controlled game. I was surprised to see how many passes Newcastle broke up in the center of the pitch, especially late in the game when Manchester United was pushing up the field as much as possible. The Magpies were faster, stronger and more aggressive than the Red Devils, and I believe that's what won the match for the them.
I'm not saying that Manchester United played a horrible game. The Red Devils certainly weren't at their best, and their weaknesses were definitely exposed by Newcastle United. But the truth is the Magpies were the better team on Wednesday, and they deserved to win the match. I'm looking forward to seeing how Ferguson and Manchester United recover from this loss.
Derek Ciapala has been a fan of Manchester United since the World Cup in 1994. His favorite Red Devils' moment is when they won their 19th English Championship in 2011. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.
