"Absolutely brilliant": Gary Neville praises Man Utd star after 94% passing vs Newcastle
Manchester United returned to winning ways with a 1-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were without seven players for the encounter, which prompted the manager to change tactics.
Ruben Amorim went with a traditional 4-2-3-1 formation. It proved worthwhile with Patrick Dorgu bagging the winner.
Dorgu started from the right wing for the Red Devils and opened the scoring with a sensational volley in the 24th minute.
His goal was sufficient to secure the victory after some resolute defending from United and poor finishing by the visitors.
Dorgu received much of the plaudits for his goal, but young centre-back Ayden Heaven was named the man of the match.
Speaking after the game, Neville described the teenager’s performance as ‘absolutely brilliant’.
He told Sky Sports: “Heaven has been the man of the match. Manchester United hung in there. Heaven was absolutely brilliant.”
The 19-year-old partnered Lisandro Martinez in central defence against the Magpies. Despite playing in an unfamiliar right centre-back role, he looked comfortable in possession and with his distribution.
The former Arsenal graduate completed 94 percent of his passes and lost possession just three times.
He made eight clearances against the Tyneside outfit and also won a couple of ground and aerial duels.
It was an assured performance by the youngster, who has quickly become a favourite among the fans.
On current form, Amorim could have a big selection headache on his hands once experienced duo Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire return from injury and are available to play once more.
United have temporarily moved to fifth in the league, just goal difference behind Chelsea. They have a winnable fixture list with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United and Burnley coming up.
The Red Devils have the opportunity to build a winning streak and break into the Champions League places at the start of the year. They have a good chance of boosting their goal difference too.
Stats from Sofascore.com
Article written by Sri Aswin .