Player Ratings: Newcastle United 2-1 Manchester United

Photo: Manchester United

Manchester United suffered their first Premier League defeat in 2026 after a late William Osula goal got Newcastle United the victory, giving Michael Carrick his first defeat as United head coach.

After a rather gritty first half, the game came to life right before the break, when Jacob Ramsey was sent off for a second yellow card after being judged to have dived. Moments later, Anthony Gordon won a penalty after Bruno Fernandes fouled him, and the Newcastle forward converted the spot-kick.

Late on in first-half injury time, Fernandes crossed the ball from a free-kick, and Casemiro headed into the back of the net to equalise.

The second half was a slog, with United plugging away at the Newcastle backline, with Aaron Ramsdale called into action on a couple of occasions. With the game seemingly heading for a draw, Osula eventually won it for Newcastle when he beat the United defenders for pace and cut inside, before stroking it into the net.

Here are how United players did at St James' Park:

Senne Lammens 7

Did well to slow the game down in the first half, and dealt with aerial balls really well. Made a couple of neat saves, and ultimately could not do much with the penalty and the late winner.

Noussair Mazraoui 5

Brought in for Diogo Dalot and he had a rocky game. Harvey Barnes was constantly running at him, and then he got booked for a rash foul later in the game.

Leny Yoro 6

Better defensively than he has been this season, covering plenty of ground and making a series of crucial interceptions. However, he should have scored with a header from close range.

Harry Maguire 7

A commanding performance from the United defender, looking solid defensively and winning plenty of aerial and ground duels. One of the best players on the pitch.

Luke Shaw 5

Got booked for a foul early on and he was finding it difficult to handle Anthony Elanga. Subbed off.

Casemiro 6

He was being completely overrun by Joelinton and Sandro Tonali during the first half, and Casemiro was rather sloppy on the ball, especially for the incident that led to the penalty. He did well to connect to the Fernandes free-kick to equalise, but struggled later in the game.

Kobbie Mainoo 5

A rather underwhelming performance from the young midfielder. Apart from forcing Ramsdale into a good save, he did not do much on the ball. Lost control of the midfield.

Bryan Mbeumo 5

Got booked early on and he was struggling to get on the ball. Squandered a huge opportunity in the first half, somehow failing to hit the target inside the penalty area.

Bruno Fernandes 6

The only player who looked like he could create an opportunity for a late goal. Stepped up with the assist for the Casemiro goal, and he arguably should have had more during the game, particularly with a fine ball to Yoro, who could not score. A frustrating night for the United captain.

Matheus Cunha 6

An enterprising performance from the Brazilian, who constantly had the beating of Kieran Trippier, but was not getting the final delivery right.

Benjamin Sesko 6

Excellent use of the ball and linked up play very well. Held the ball up efficiently at times in the first half, and even fashioned an opening for himself. He barely got any service in the second half, being completely marshalled by Malick Thiaw and Dan Burn.

Substitutes

Diogo Dalot 5

Came on to offer more width, but he could not really make a difference. Should have taken a shot on when he had space in the penalty area.

Manuel Ugarte 6

A decent cameo from the Uruguayan, who dealt with Newcastle's pressure very well, helping United seize control of the midfield.

Amad 6

Did not have enough time to make an impact, and probably should have come on earlier.

Joshua Zirkzee 6

Did well to try to make things happen, including a thunderous strike from outside of the box. Did not get on the ball enough.

Tyrell Malacia 3

A clear sign that he is nowhere near good enough, and obviously lacks match sharpness. Failed to deal with Osula and allowed him to cut inside for the winner.

Head Coach - Michael Carrick 5

A frustrating night for Carrick, as he gets his first defeat as United manager on his return to Tyneside. The line-up looked to be the right one for the match but when the sides were even in numbers, United were finding it difficult to control Newcastle. His side were sloppy in possession, and lacked any real creativity aside from that of Fernandes. Probably should have brought on Ayden Heaven instead of Tyrell Malacia given the latter's lack of minutes with the first-team, and could have brought Amad on earlier in the game, given how ineffective Mbeumo was proving to be.

Carrick will need to regroup the team ahead of the crucial test against Aston Villa in 11 days' time, with this being the first time that he will need to get his side going again after a defeat.