Premier League news: Patrick Dorgu volley edges Man Utd past Newcastle in Boxing Day clash

Manchester United edged Newcastle United 1-0 in their recent Premier League clash, with Patrick Dorgu scoring a spectacular first-half volley to secure the three points.

United, missing several key players, defended resolutely in the second half as Newcastle dominated possession and created more chances but couldn’t find a way through.

The win lifted the Red Devils into sixth place, while Newcastle’s struggles in front of goal and poor away form continued.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer Robert Bore reviews the Boxing Day showdown at Old Trafford.

An anxious Dachshund

I may have mentioned this previously but Mrs Bore and I are the proud parents of a very high-maintenance Dachshund.

He’s a bonny lad, has an eye for the ladies, and loves us very much. Too much in fact – his separation anxiety is horrendous.

We leave the house and he paces the room, sits on the stairs, and chews something he shouldn’t in retribution.

Granted, it’s not the sort of anxiety you get when Diogo Dalot’s name is on the teamsheet, but rather batshit crazy Fatal Attraction–style ‘leave me and I’ll boil your rabbit’ type of stuff.

It’s all very odd and a tad disconcerting.

Then I also remembered Bruno Fernandes was injured.

I was sitting on the stairs myself when the team news dropped, nibbling on an old slipper. I’d stopped short of pissing in the hall.

Surprise formation change

Amorim made two changes to the starting XI that lost at Aston Villa, with (new skipper) Lisandro Martínez and Casemiro back in and Leny Yoro dropping out.

That meant a Casemiro–Manuel Ugarte engine room and visions of acres of space, like a fallow field.

But hang on a minute! As former England manager Mike Bassett would have said, Amorim’s men would be lining up in a “Four-Four-F**king-Two!”

I wasn’t the only one caught out.

Aaron Ramsdale initially looked to have suffered a hamstring injury which had him doing some Jane Fonda–type stretching before a lengthy stoppage.

However, it appeared the shock of United’s return to a more traditional set-up also required some in-play adjustment from Newcastle boss Eddie Howe.

It was about as subtle as Jimmy Five Bellies’ belly as youngster Lewis Miley ran around reorganising his team-mates while Ramsdale received ‘treatment’.

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Brilliant Dorgu strike

Newcastle improved almost immediately, Lewis Hall in particular a nuisance as the formation shift had the teams now going man for man.

It felt ominous to be honest and I smelt an away goal breaking the deadlock, yet when the opener came in the 25th minute, it was from the unlikeliest of sources.

Dalot hurled a long throw into the box which was headed out by Nick Woltemade, but Patrick Dorgu had locked in, tracking the ball’s fall through the air before volleying crisply past Ramsdale with his left foot from about 20 yards.

It was some way to score your first goal for the club, with Pat Dorg – now Top Dorg – racing away to celebrate.

He forced a save from Ramsdale with his other foot soon after as Cunha found gaps in the visitor backline and the hosts were looking very lively on the counter, despite no Bruno, Amad Diallo, or Bryan Mbuemo.

Cunha then slashed one wide and the Geordies looked a bit rattled.

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Weathering the storm

United looked good, especially Dorgu who looked like a different player hunting up and down his flank.

More specifically, United looked different.

The attacking flair was there, Mount and Cunha involved in most things, but Casemiro and Ugarte looked less exposed and the backline was less shaky as we went into the break.

Fifteen minutes of optimism later and the first bad news of the evening arrived.

Mount wouldn’t be reappearing for the second half with Jack Fletcher, son of Darren and one of five United kids on the bench including his twin brother Tyler, given the nod.

Newcastle came out strongly and with pressure, Fabian Schär blocked at the far post as the crosses started to pepper Senne Lammens’ box.

I was hoping this was a bit of a mirror of the first half and we’d weather the storm.

It almost came, with Ugarte robbing the ball in midfield and Benjamin Šeško striking the ball left-footed but crashing off the frame of the goal.

Šeško was taken off straight after for Joshua Zirkzee as was a shocked Casemiro for Yoro.

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Avoiding a knockout

Newcastle rattled the woodwork themselves minutes later when Lewis Hall lashed a cracker past Lammens.

Then there was a penalty shout against Martínez, but his wrestle with the attacker was mitigation enough and the Reds survived the VAR check.

As we moved into the final third of the game, it was still anyone’s but the visitors were in the ascendancy and United looked short of ideas.

Howe readied his cavalry before Anthony Gordon flashed one across the face of goal and on came Joelinton, Yoane Wissa, and Harvey Barnes.

I was pining for Bruno again, but I’d take Frank Bruno at this stage as it felt like a knockout was coming.

Dalot should have provided it, Martínez reminding everyone what a range of pass he has by playing a fabulous ball in behind the defence for the now auxiliary right-winger, but he put the chance over the top.

Cunha, who had been all over the pitch again, stopped Bruno Guimarães at the expense of a corner as we entered the final 15 minutes, but Gordon was penalised for a foul on Lammens with a cheeky nudge as the Belgian went to clear.

Were United going to get a nosebleed? Or would they go then-fifth at the 56th time of asking this season?

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Progress at last

Barnes fired over the top after a slick move, under pressure from the impressive Ayden Heaven, and we were down to the last five minutes.

Amorim took off Luke Shaw and Martínez for Tyrell Malacia and Tyler Fredricson with two minutes left, which seemed madder than a bag of frogs, even more so when Martínez inexplicably gave the armband to Dalot – as if to spite me.

Schär wasted a half chance, Miley blazed over, and the fourth official showed seven added minutes.

I picked up the slipper again and began to munch.

Lammens plucked a flat cross out of the air to calm the nerves and then fumbled the next so the slipper went back in, but United were working overtime hard for the points and they certainly weren’t in 4-4-2 any more.

In the end, they got over the line and boy, it felt good.

It may have been a rear-guard action for most of the second half, but watching them battle for one another and graft for the win felt like progress.

Maybe it was a sign that there is more to this side than what we have seen – and maybe even more to Amorim.

No Bruno, no problem.

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