Photo: Paul Ellis / AFP / Getty Images
For: EFE
Monday, October 7
De Gea and Cavani's return saved Manchester United from another disaster
An exhibition of interventions by David de Gea and the opportunism of the Uruguayan Edinson Cavani in Their return to the pitch prevented Manchester United’s defeat at Saint James’ Park (1-1) on Monday against Newcastle that showed pride despite their moment of great difficulty and lost their two best forwards, Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin, due to injury
The ‘Boxing Day’ hangover kept the show going in a duel that put a brake on Manchester’s reaction United since the arrival of German Ralf Rangnick to his bench. Victim of his defensive insecurity, supported at all times by De Gea against a vertical Newcastle who played direct and knew how to do damage, only the entry on the scene of Cavani changed the sign of a match in which Cristiano Ronaldo did not appear at all good and could be sent off for a hard tackle that turned yellow .
The match was in the offing for Newcastle at the start, after seven minutes, by effectively punishing a mistake by Raphael Varane. He lost the ball, slow, after stealing and out of position. It caused the defensive disorder of the ‘reds’, who were punished with precision by Saint-Maximin at the start of their great match. Two threats and an unstoppable right hand, the only attempt that could overcome De Gea.
Newcastle had their second goal disallowed for offside by Wilson , and things began to go wrong with his injury, after making a bad gesture that caused a muscle injury in a calf.
Rangnick resorted to Cavani’s return at halftime, after two months away from the pitch, and changed the landscape by increasing the offensive presence and the sense of danger. The position of Bruno Fernandes was key, annulled in band, who went on to direct the game in the middle.
However it was De Gea the great protagonist with his interventions. He avoided the second with a save to Saint-Maximin point-blank, made a great save down to Fraser after a counterattack and scored points with a flight to get a ball that headed to the squad with three minutes left.
The Manchester United tied at 71 minutes , with Cavani appearing where it does the most damage to put the tie, and even had the comeback with a chopped ball that the local defense took out before the pride of the St James’ Park fans who cheered the waste of theirs to get a tie.