Manchester United vs Newcastle LIVE
Manchester United produced a valiant defensive performance as they edged out a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Friday. Patrick Dorgu scored on the volley before the break with his first goal for the club, and it proved the winner after a frenetic second-half. The Magpies heaped on the pressure as the clock wound down and created bountiful chances, but could not bundle one over the line.
It is a sorely needed three points for United, who move fifth in the Premier League, but Newcastle’s struggles on the road persist. It is an even greater boost for United given the raft of first-team absentees: Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo, and Noussair Mazraoui were all absent either with injuries or due to AFCON.
Dorgu followed his sweetly-hit opener with a gritty defensive showing which fully complemented his team-mates’ battling defensive showing. Newcastle, though, will need some introspection on the long journey back to the north-east after they dominated the game in the second-half but failed to really test Senne Lammens. Catch up with the action as it happened below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis.
Man United vs Newcastle latest news
- GOAL! Dorgu volleys home the decider
- Man United XI
- Newcastle XI
FULL TIME: Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:57 , Arthur FerridgeUnited hang on!
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:54 , Arthur Ferridge90+5mins: Wasteful from Gordon, who puts his latest cross behind for a goal kick. Poor.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:54 , Arthur Ferridge90+5mins: Lammens spills one and it falls to Miley, but the Belgian recovers just in time.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:53 , Arthur Ferridge90+4mins: Lammens makes a high claim to cut short this latest Newcastle attack, and Yoro has gone down clutching his head.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:51 , Arthur Ferridge90+2mins: Cunha catches Hall late and is booked.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:50 , Arthur Ferridge90mins: Hall’s cross falls to Miley in the box, and he volleys it narrowly wide.
Seven minutes are added. The tension in the ground is palpable!
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:48 , Arthur Ferridge89mins: Schar heads Gordon’s cross over the bar.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:46 , Arthur Ferridge87mins: Shaw and Martinez are replaced by Malacia (remember him?) and Fredricson.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:44 , Arthur Ferridge85mins: Yet another chance goes begging for Newcastle as Gordon fires over from inside the box.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:42 , Arthur Ferridge84mins: Willock is the latest to put a cross into the box but it is over every Newcastle head.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:38 , Arthur Ferridge79mins: Gordon finds Joelinton in the box, but his shot is tame and easily saved by Lammens.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:37 , Arthur Ferridge78mins: Lammens comes for Miley’s corner and completely misses it, but Taylor feels he has been unfairly impeded by Gordon.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:36 , Arthur Ferridge77mins: Joe Willock replaces Tonali.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:32 , Arthur Ferridge73mins: Another MASSIVE chance! Martinez pings a gorgeous pass to Dalot, who gets around Thiaw and brings it down so nicely, but he fires over the bar!
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:32 , Arthur Ferridge73mins: Tonali is booked for a clumsy foul.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:31 , Arthur Ferridge72mins: Joelinton works a shooting chance but is closed down by Heaven. Newcastle are banging on the door.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:29 , Arthur Ferridge71mins: Dorgu’s cross gets the better of Thiaw but rattles out the far side of the box, uncollected.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:29 , Arthur Ferridge70mins: Joelinton does what he does best and clatters Cunha for little to no reason. Anthony Taylor looks... bemused.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:28 , Arthur Ferridge69mins: Shaw is booked for time wasting.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:27 , Arthur Ferridge68mins: Three changes for Newcastle. Wissa, Joelinton, and Barnes replace Woltemade, Murphy, and Ramsey.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:26 , Arthur Ferridge67mins: Another near miss for Newcastle! Gordon latches onto a loose ball in the box and fires narrowly wide of the far post.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:24 , Arthur Ferridge65mins: One wonders when Yoane Wissa is going to come off the bench for Newcastle. They’re crying out for a good finisher.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:23 , Arthur Ferridge64mins: Schar’s cross caught Martinez at close range, and he was the man accused of handball. He’s been cleared by VAR, though.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:22 , Arthur Ferridge63mins: Chaos at Old Trafford as a Newcastle corner is turned goalwards by Schar but there are appeals for handball. VAR are investigating...
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:21 , Arthur Ferridge62mins: ANOTHER CHANCE! Hall has a dig from range and Lammens is nowhere near it - but it comes off the bar! In the ensuing melee, he sees another long-range hit blocked.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:19 , Arthur Ferridge59mins: CHANCE FROM NOWHERE FOR UNITED! Bruno Guimaraes is caught by Ugarte who plays Sesko in behind, but he rattles the bar!
That is Sesko’s final contribution - he has been replaced by Zirkzee. Casemiro, too, is replaced by Yoro.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:17 , Arthur Ferridge58mins: Thiaw looks to play a ball over the top to Miley, but Martinez comes across quickly to cut it out.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:15 , Arthur Ferridge56mins: United have hardly had a sniff in this second half. Newcastle are just lacking that finishing touch.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:12 , Arthur Ferridge53mins: No dice from that corner, but Newcastle come again. They really need to capitalise on this pressure sooner rather than later.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:11 , Arthur Ferridge52mins: A fourth corner of the half beckons for Newcastle after Tonali’s cross for Schar is cleared behind by Shaw.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:10 , Arthur Ferridge51mins: The follow-up corner is cleared by Dorgu, who has been immense today. He hits the turf clutching his head.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:10 , Arthur Ferridge51mins: Schar’s shot is deflected behind for a corner by Dorgu. Newcastle are knocking on the door now.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:08 , Arthur Ferridge49mins: For the third or fourth time this evening, a sweet Murphy cross is batted away by Newcastle.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:07 , Arthur Ferridge48mins: Cunha then fouls Miley to give Newcastle a free-kick high on their right flank.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:07 , Arthur Ferridge48mins: Cunha goes down with a yelp after being tackled by Thiaw, but he does not win the foul he was looking for.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:05 , Arthur Ferridge47mins: Ramsey does brilliantly to work a shooting chance on the edge of the box, but loses his balance before he can loose his effort.
2ND HALF: Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
21:04 , Arthur FerridgeUnited make changes at the break. Mason Mount is replaced by Jack Fletcher.
The goalscorer...
21:00 , Arthur FerridgePatrick Dorgu’s goal - his first for United - remains the only difference in this match.
He’s been threatening to score a second, too. Let’s see how he fares in the second half.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:49 , Arthur FerridgeThere’s the whistle!
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:48 , Arthur Ferridge45+3mins: Another superb cross from Murphy goes unattacked by any Newcastle player.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:47 , Arthur Ferridge45+2mins: Sesko just caught Tonali with his studs. Unfortunate collision, no intention behind it. He will play on, and we will likely have another couple minutes added.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:46 , Arthur Ferridge45mins: Tonali is down in a heap after colliding with Sesko, but Taylor waves ‘play on’. He eventually pulls it back, though.
Two minutes are added on.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:45 , Arthur Ferridge44mins: Upon seeing a replay of Dorgu’s goal, you realise just how bad Newcastle’s defensive injuries must be. Woltemade’s looping header dropped to him on the edge of the box, and nobody in black-and-white seemed interested in closing him down.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:41 , Arthur Ferridge41mins: Murphy hits a zippy cross low through the United box, but neither Gordon nor Woltemade can get a touch on it.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:40 , Arthur Ferridge39mins: Things are getting a bit scrappy here as half-time draws nearer, but United are still on top.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:36 , Arthur Ferridge36mins: Cunha works a shooting chance after a lovely linkup with Dorgu, but his effort bends wide. United are really in the groove here.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:34 , Arthur Ferridge34mins: Dorgu shoots from a tight angle and demands another smart save from Ramsdale.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:32 , Arthur Ferridge32mins: Cunha leaves Miley for dead and breaks into the box, but can’t capitalise from the situation how he’d have liked. Corner to United.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:31 , Arthur Ferridge30mins: United look keen on a second. They flow forwards in numbers, but Shaw’s cross for Cunha is batted away by Thiaw.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:29 , Arthur Ferridge29mins: Schar goes long for Gordon, but it is far too easy for Dalot to intercept. United hare away on the counter, but Newcastle deal with them with relative ease.
Cliche as it may be, you get the impression the next goal will decide this one.
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
20:26 , Arthur Ferridge26mins: On the balance of the last 20 minutes or so, that is really against the run of play. Absolute gut-punch for Newcastle.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle (Dorgu '24)
20:25 , Arthur FerridgeUnited are in front! Dorgu catches a loose ball on the volley and it nestles sweetly in the bottom corner.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:24 , Arthur Ferridge24mins: Ramsdale gets down quickly to deny Cunha at his near post.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:22 , Arthur Ferridge22mins: Gordon spins Dalot in the corner and finds Hall in the box. He breaks to the byline and wins another corner as his cross is deflected behind.
This latest set-piece falls to Schar, whose shot from a tight angle demands a routine save from Lammens.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:20 , Arthur Ferridge20mins: Ramsdale hasn’t really had much to do since he went down with a hamstring niggle - that was nearly a quarter of an hour ago!
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:19 , Arthur Ferridge19mins: Hall’s corner drops nicely at the back post but it is met by the head of Patrick Dorgu.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:19 , Arthur Ferridge19mins: Ramsey and Bruno combine to create a chance, but the Brazilian’s cutback is cleared out for another corner.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:18 , Arthur Ferridge18mins: Newcastle certainly having the better of the play now as United concede some clumsy fouls in the midfield. Ugarte pulls Tonali back to grant the Magpies another tantalising set-piece.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:15 , Arthur Ferridge15mins: After weathering United’s strong start, Newcastle are into a lively spell. They are starting to ask some questions of their hosts, who so far have all the answers.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:14 , Arthur Ferridge14mins: The latest corner goes short but Dorgu sustains a head injury when the cross eventually comes. Play is halted, but he is quickly back to his feet.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:13 , Arthur Ferridge13mins: Guimaraes flicks the corner on and forces a smart reflex parry from Lammens. Newcastle come again and Murphy sees a shot deflected over the bar for a second corner.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:12 , Arthur Ferridge12mins: Corner to Newcastle...
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:11 , Arthur Ferridge11mins: Sesko gets the ball to his feet on the penalty spot. He spins round but shoots wide.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:11 , Arthur Ferridge11mins: The United press wins the ball high in the final third and Ugarte shapes up for a shot, but a black-and-white shirt tracks back to block his effort.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:10 , Arthur Ferridge10mins: Ramsdale will attempt to play on for now, if only to give Nick Pope more time to warm up.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:09 , Arthur Ferridge9mins: Bad news for Newcastle... Aaron Ramsdale is down clutching his hamstring and Nick Pope has been sent to warm up!
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:08 , Arthur Ferridge8mins: With that said, it has been a lively press from United here from the first kick of the ball. Case in point: Sesko comes deep to pick Tonali’s pocket while he is distracted by the United midfield.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:08 , Arthur Ferridge7mins: Lewis Hall is rather struggling under heavy pressure from Mount and Dorgu in the early stages. That could prove a key battle today.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:05 , Arthur Ferridge5mins: Dorgu is tripped in the middle of the pitch, but Anthony Taylor waves away his appeals.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:04 , Arthur Ferridge3mins: Casemiro heads the corner well over the bar. Great chance to open the scoring.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:03 , Arthur Ferridge2mins: And it has been a composed start from United, who look nice and settled on the ball. No grand attacking moves have been produced as of yet, but Lewis Miley concedes a corner under pressure from Luke Shaw.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:01 , Arthur Ferridge1min: Interestingly, United look to have dropped into a back four off the bat.
KICK-OFF! Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
20:00 , Arthur FerridgeBoxing Day football is underway at Old Trafford!
Nearly time to go
19:54 , Arthur FerridgeThe players are out at Old Trafford - kick-off is imminent!
Team news reminder
19:50 , Arthur FerridgeWith just ten minutes left until kick-off, here’s a reminder of tonight’s XIs.
Man United: Lammens; Dalot, Martinez, Heaven, Mount, Cunha, Dorgu, Casemiro, Shaw, Ugarte, Sesko
Newcastle: Ramsdale; Hall, Schar, Tonali, Gordon, Thiaw, Murphy, Woltemade, Bruno, Ramsey, Miley
Eyes on AFCON
19:46 , Arthur FerridgeA reminder that Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui will be playing simultaneously with his United team-mates this evening.
His Morocco side take on Mali at 8pm - and he has been named to the starting XI.
Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma starts opposite him.
You can follow that clash on Channel 4!
Man United bench
19:42 , Arthur FerridgeRuben Amorim does not have much in the way of experience on the bench.
He has three 18-year-olds in Shea Lacey and the twins Jack and Tyler Fletcher.
They are joined by Leny Yoro and Tyler Fredricson, both 20, and Bendito Mantato is still just 17!
How to cope without Fernandes
19:35 , Arthur FerridgeMan United face a unique challenge tonight: how to cope without Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese has been ever-present since signing, but is now facing several weeks on the sidelines with an injury.
But how do they make up for his creativity and his leadership?
Of United’s 31 league goals this season, he has either scored or assisted 12 of them. That’s 38 per cent!
He will be sorely missed...
Nick Woltemade
19:31 , Arthur FerridgeFew would have seen it coming at the start of the season, but Nick Woltemade has done an admirable job of replacing Alexander Isak.
In the Premier League alone, he already has seven goals and one assist in 14 appearances.
He will hope to build on that record at Old Trafford tonight.
30 minute warning!
19:30 , Arthur FerridgeKick-off is just half an hour away!
Newcastle away from home
19:27 , Arthur FerridgeNewcastle’s form this season is rather interesting for one key reason: they are hopeless away from home.
They sit eleventh in the table overall, but if only away matches were counted, they would be 15th.
In eight matches away from home this season, they have taken just six points.
Lisandro Martinez returns
19:22 , Arthur FerridgeLisandro Martinez starts today, returning to the starting XI for the first time since sustaining an ACL tear against Crystal Palace in February.
Last time out
19:18 , Arthur FerridgeBoth Man United and Newcastle dropped points last time out.
United visited Aston Villa and came away with a 2-1 defeat, courtesy of a stunning brace from Morgan Rogers.
Newcastle, meanwhile, hosted Chelsea and took a 2-0 lead into half-time but ultimately drew 2-2.
Man United arrive at Old Trafford
19:10 , Arthur FerridgeThe Reds are HERE! 👋
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 26, 2025
Newcastle team news
19:03 , Arthur FerridgeA curious lineup from Howe today.
Lewis Hall returns in a boost for the Magpies, though Joelinton is only fit enough for the bench, which features three academy hopefuls in Shahar, Neave, and Alabi.
Nick Pope joins them on the bench, with Aaron Ramsdale continuing between the sticks.
Lewis Miley is back in the XI, too, likely reprising his role as a makeshift full-back.
Man United team news
18:55 , Arthur FerridgeNo major surprises for United here. It does seem to be a back three as expected, while Mainoo misses out with injury again.
Dorgu and Dalot will take up the wing-back roles.
Zirkzee is named to the bench despite being heavily linked with a January transfer.
Tyrell Malacia makes the bench for the seventh consecutive match, and could make his first competitive appearance of the season today.
NEWCASTLE TEAM NEWS
18:47 , Arthur FerridgeAnd tonight’s visitors...
Newcastle XI: Ramsdale; Hall, Schar, Tonali, Gordon, Thiaw, Murphy, Woltemade, Bruno, Ramsey, Miley
Subs: Pope, Joelinton, Wissa, Barnes, Willock, Murphy, Shahar, Neave, Alabi
MAN UNITED TEAM NEWS
18:45 , Arthur FerridgeHere’s Ruben Amorim’s side to face Newcastle...
Man United XI: Lammens; Dalot, Martinez, Heaven, Mount, Cunha, Dorgu, Casemiro, Shaw, Ugarte, Sesko
Subs: Bayindir, Fredricson, Malacia, Yoro, J. Fletcher, T. Fletcher, Lacey, Mantato, Zirkzee
Team news coming up...
18:41 , Arthur FerridgeLineups will be released momentarily!
Wissa in the fold?
18:37 , Arthur FerridgeYoane Wissa has barely featured for Newcastle since making a big-money move from Brentford in the summer.
He was sidelined with an injury mere days after joining up, and finally scored his first goal for the club in last week’s Carabao Cup defeat of Fulham.
And now he’s ready to make up for lost time.
He told Sky Sports: "There's more to come for sure. As I said, I'm not in a perfect peak yet. It's going to take a few weeks to build up and I know I've got a step to achieve.
"But I know who I am. I'm a hard worker. I love playing football. And yes, I hope I'm going to score many goals here. And I know I'm not 100 per cent, but there's more to come for sure.
"I hope I score a lot of goals, a lot of assists and a lot of wins. This is what we need now. We need a big momentum now as the season is getting tougher and tougher.
"We need a big momentum and for myself, a lot of goals and happy moments. This is just what I need now.”
Could he feature at Old Trafford today?
A chance for Kobbie?
18:30 , Arthur FerridgeRuben Amorim has come in for considerable criticism for his use of Kobbie Mainoo this season.
The youngster, a fan favourite, has barely featured for United despite the side’s poor results.
Asked whether Mainoo could feature today as a stopgap for AFCON absentees, this is what Amorim had to say...
"Kobbie Mainoo will have the opportunity he has all the time.
"He played in different positions - we talked about the position of Casemiro, he can do that. If you play with a three, he can play like we did in the last game with the position of Mason Mount, he can play there.
"He is going to be the future of Manchester United, that is my feeling, he just needs to wait for his chance and everything can change in football in two days."
Man United vs Newcastle head to head
18:22 , Arthur FerridgeNewcastle have a brilliant recent record against Manchester United, and they will be confident of picking up at least a point on their travels today.
Manchester United wins: 92
Newcastle United wins: 48
Draws: 41
Why is there only one Boxing Day game?
18:14 , Arthur FerridgeFans up and down the country will miss the usual swathe of Boxing Day matches this year.
United vs Newcastle is the only match on the bill, but why?
The trimmed festive schedule is intended to combat fixture congestion brought on by the newly expanded Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League formats.
The fact that Christmas fell on a Thursday also inspired the change, with most matches simply bumped to Saturday.
Boxing Day football
18:06 , Arthur FerridgeIt seems a shame there is only one Boxing Day match in the Premier League this year.
There is plenty of AFCON and EFL action to keep you entertained, though.
The programme at Old Trafford, though, knows where most eyes will be drawn...
AFCON involvement
17:58 , Arthur FerridgeMan United will be without Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui today as all three represent their nations at AFCON.
Diallo and Mbeumo, representing the Ivory Coast and Cameroon respectively, both won their first AFCON outings 1-0, but being groupmates, will face one another on Sunday.
Mazraoui, on the other hand, will play simultaneously to his team-mates tonight as Morocco face Mali.
Standard Sport prediction: Honours even
17:50 , Arthur FerridgeBoth sides are struggling coming into this fixture, but Newcastle have won five of their last six games against Manchester United and no Fernandes massively weakens Amorim's team.
But with Newcastle depleted so much in defence because of injuries, it seems very unlikely that the Red Devils will not at least score once at Old Trafford.
With a metaphorical hangover for both sides after Christmas, it would be no surprise to see a draw between them.
Draw, 1-1.
Newcastle early team news: Absentees aplenty
17:45 , Arthur FerridgeNewcastle are in the middle of an injury crisis, with their defence being hit especially badly. Nick Pope could be back and Sven Botman is getting better, but Dan Burn, Tino Livramento and Kieran Trippier are all definitely ruled out.
Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles and William Osula are all also out.
Man United early team news: Fernandes out
17:40 , Arthur FerridgeManchester United will be without their captain Bruno Fernandes after he picked up a rare injury against Aston Villa. It is thought a hamstring issue could rule him out for up to a month.
Harry Maguire has a thigh injury and is not expected back until early January, while Matthijs de Ligt has a back issue and will not return for this one.
Kobbie Mainoo is in contention to get more game time now that Fernandes is injured, but he has unfortunately picked up a small calf injury and will likely not feature again in 2025.
Casemiro is back from suspension, but Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui are all away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Manchester United vs Newcastle latest odds
17:39 , Arthur FerridgeMan Utd to win: 7/5
Newcastleto win: 6/4
Draw: 21/10
Odds via BetFair (Subject to change)
How to watch Manchester United vs Newcastle
17:35 , Arthur FerridgeTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage starting at 7pm GMT on the former and 7:30pm on the latter.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog - that’s this one!
Click here to read the full blog on The The Standard's website
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