Player ratings as Red Devils held to goalless stalemate

Manchester United were held to a goalless stalemate at home by Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The ambitious approach of both teams threatened to concoct an intriguing affair. From the opening whistle, Newcastle pressed aggressively. The hosts tried – with mixed success – to weave their way around the hassling white shirts.

However, an ultimately scrappy and staccato affair was riddled with controversial refereeing decisions – or, more accurately, non-decisions.

Callum Wilson gave the officials something to think about ten minutes into proceedings when he tumbled over Raphael Varane’s outstretched, errant leg. Wilson’s mild protests were waved away.

Erik ten Hag’s side were uncertain and unsettled when defending each dead ball delivered into their box. Joelinton reacted sharpest to Kieran Trippier’s first-half set piece, diverting a header off the crossbar. The Brazilian was also first to his own rebound but nodded that effort onto the post. No Premier League team has been denied by the woodwork more often than the Magpies this term.

Latter-day Cristiano Ronaldo is never far from an exasperated flap of his arms and the veteran forward was left appalled by a pair of decisions from the referee after the interval.

Fabian Schar put the ball down for a free kick which he prodded half-heartedly. Ronaldo raced ahead of a confused and static Nick Pope to tap the ball into an empty net. Despite the protestations of ten red shirts, the referee deemed that Schar didn’t deliberately take the set piece.

Moments later, Trippier connected with Ronaldo’s standing leg inside the penalty box, missing the ball entirely but escaping the scrutiny of the officials.

An hour into the contest, Sean Longstaff wasn’t penalised for hanging out a lazy leg which Jadon Sancho gratefully stumbled over within the confines of Newcastle’s penalty box.

Newcastle’s front-foot style offered space behind the visiting backline. The hosts struggled to take advantage – often getting caught offside – for the first 88 minutes. However, Marcus Rashford came off the bench to perfectly time his run, rounding a stranded Pope before squaring for Fred to spoon wide.

The final chance of the match fell to Rashford himself. The substitute snuck into space inside the box to meet Casemiro’s outside of the boot ball but planted his close range header agonisingly wide at the death.

GK: David de Gea – 5/10 -…