Next up for Michael Carrick’s unbeaten Manchester United side is a trip to St. James’ Park, which has been a bogey venue over the past couple of years.
Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Sunday, but the performance left plenty more questions, as it was far from convincing, needing great improvement ahead of facing Newcastle.
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Manchester UnitedManchester United
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United have struggled at St. James’ Park in recent years, with three consecutive losses in the North East.
This includes the scene of Ruben Amorim’s heaviest defeat as Manchester United manager. But this horrendous record means it will be all the more impressive should Michael Carrick get three points.
Michael Carrick winning at St. James’ Park would be the biggest statement yet
Last season at St James’ Amorim’s United were heavily beaten 4-1 in a game which provoked little feeling, given the form the club was in back then. This was the heaviest defeat United suffered under the Portuguese coach.
Fast forward 11 months, and a defeat to Newcastle would be a wounding blow to the momentum Carrick has built. But on the flip side, victory would be the biggest win of this run for Carrick in the fight to continue pushing further into the Champions League places.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal |
29 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 58 | 22 | 36 | 64 |
| 2 |  Manchester CityManchester City |
28 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 57 | 25 | 32 | 59 |
| 3 | Manchester UnitedManchester United |
28 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 50 | 38 | 12 | 51 |
| 4 |  Aston VillaAston Villa |
28 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 38 | 30 | 8 | 51 |
| 5 |  LiverpoolLiverpool |
28 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 47 | 37 | 10 | 48 |
Newcastle are out of form, with three home Premier League defeats in a row, four games without a win, which should give Carrick all the confidence he needs to get a result against the Magpies.
The bad days United have had away to Newcastle in recent years, including an utterly toothless 1-0 loss under Erik ten Hag in 2024, which was more concerning than the scoreline suggests. So for Carrick, victory by any means would be massive, and the biggest statement yet in his bid to become the next permanent head coach.
With St. James’ being such an unhappy hunting ground for United, given they usually play as though it’s a cup final when the Red Devils come, Carrick would probably take a draw right now if offered. However, there is no reason United can’t take all three points.
Carrick was assistant for Manchester United’s last win away vs Newcastle
United’s last win away to Newcastle was almost six years ago, back in 2020 during the Covid era of football.
It was a game in which United won 4-1 against Newcastle, coming from behind after an early Luke Shaw own goal.
Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Marcus Rashford were all on the scoresheet, with the final three coming late in the game.
So after witnessing the last win as the assistant to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Carrick will be looking to end the winless run on Wednesday night, with all current indications giving him a good chance.
Interestingly, United’s team still has three of the scorers in this game.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/euX0EVk