Manchester United missed out on the chance to make it four wins on the spin as they played out an entertaining 0-0 draw with Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
Newcastle controlled the early proceedings and were only denied the lead after Joelinton hit the woodwork twice in a matter of seconds. Antony had the best first-half chance for the home side, but his shot was saved by Nick Pope.
There was real controversy in the second half when Cristiano Ronaldo thought he’d opened the scoring by taking the ball off the keeper when he stood over a free-kick. However instead of awarding a goal, Ronaldo was given a yellow card for his troubles.
With the game seemingly petering out for a draw Marcus Rashford - who came on for Ronaldo - almost created a late winner all by himself. After a perfectly timed run, Rashford rounded Pope before squaring the ball into the path of Fred. But with the goal at his mercy, the Brazilian fired agonisingly wide and with it the final chance of finding a winner.
Rashford then should have won it himself in the final second but headed wide. Here are the talking points from The Theatre of Dreams:
Ferguson toasts two of his best
Sir Alex had more than a few memorable battles with the Magpies and while it was very much a watching brief this time around, Ferguson still made his way onto the Old Trafford pitch. The Scot was given a rapturous reception as the club honoured two of his finest ever signings.
Ronaldo was given a memento for racking up an astonishing 700 club goals, 118 of which came under the legendary Scottish coach. Fergie was also there to greet David De Gea on the occasion of his 500th appearance for the Red Devils.
The Spaniard became only the 11th player in their illustrious history to bring up the landmark, having signed for the club back in 2011. Ten Hag will be hoping his early forays into the transfer market can have the kind of lasting impact Ronaldo and De Gea have both had at Old Trafford.
VARane spared
Unusually, it has been a relatively quiet weekend when it comes to VAR controversies, but Newcastle had every right to feel a little aggrieved when the officials at Stockley Park ignored an early penalty shout.
In a bright start from Howe’s side, Callum Wilson got the wrong side of Raphael Varane and headed for the box. The Frenchman then made contact with Wilson, sending him to the ground.
Referee Craig Pawson waved away protests and VAR Jarred Gillett backed his on-field colleague. Varane was also fortunate to escape punishment for a pull on Dan Burn. Newcastle were rightly annoyed, but got a slice of luck themselves when Sean Longstaff got away with clipping Jadon Sancho in the box in the second half.
Ronaldo’s rage
Even during games where he doesn’t look like being centre stage, Ronaldo finds a way to create at least one or two headlines. The 37-year-old was already bristling after a goal was correctly ruled out for offside shortly after the break.
But that annoyance became full-blown rage when he thought he’d scored one of the more crafty goals of his illustrious career. After the ball was rolled to Newcastle keeper Nick Pope to take a free-kick, Ronaldo tired of waiting for the game to restart tried to force a decision by nicking the ball off his toes and rolling it into the empty net.
It was reminiscent of that infamous Nani goal vs Tottenham, but while that one was allowed, Ronaldo’s protests only resulted in a yellow card. He was then denied a penalty before being subbed off, leaving the Old Trafford pitch furiously shaking his head.
Toon’s top-six hopes
Eddie Howe this week admitted that assumptions his side were now contenders for European football sat perfectly fine with him. And on this evidence the players are comfortable being put in that company as well.
Howe has his charges playing an exciting brand of football which will see them contend with almost any side in the Premier League. It won’t always result in victories, but the Magpies’ upward trajectory is clear to see.
They didn’t only compete with Manchester United in the first 45 minutes, they dominated. And had they gone in a goal or two up there would have been few complaints. This is still very much the start of Newcastle’s journey, but as Jurgen Klopp sarcastically congratulated them upon, they appear to have no ceiling.
Old Trafford picks a side
Erik ten Hag would have been forgiven if he was a little nervous when he passed his substitution to the fourth official in the second half. Passing on the No.7 to come off in any game is a bold move, but with Manchester United chasing a winner, taking Ronaldo off is extremely brave.
It has scarcely happened since his return from Juventus, so often the main man and so often the man capping remarkable comebacks. But under Ten Hag he has adopted a much less prominent role.
And with his side desperate for a winner he turned to Rashford to provide a spark. Ronaldo was furious as he made his way off the pitch, but the packed out Old Trafford at least sounded on board with the move, roaring Rashford onto the pitch.
And Ten Hag was so nearly vindicated. Rashford almost created the winner for Fred, before he missed the target with a free header in the last second of the game. Nevertheless, this appeared recognition from crowd and player alike that Ronaldo’s heroic powers are on the wane.
