A depleted Manchester United faced away struggles against Newcastle, with Amrabat reshaping the formation & Doku scoring the winner to secure a 1-0 victory, moving up to 5th place early in the round.

At 4 AM Beijing time on December 27, the 18th round of the Premier League began early with Manchester United hosting Newcastle.

During the first half, Doku’s volley ended the stalemate and marked his debut goal for Manchester United, putting them up 1-0 at halftime; in the second half, Shevchenko and Hall each struck the frame, while Dalot squandered a good opportunity.

In the end, Manchester United edged Newcastle 1-0 at home, moving up to fifth place after playing their match earlier.

Manchester United versus Newcastle,Amrabat switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Shevchenko leading the attack, Mount behind him, flanked by Doku and Cunha, Casemiro and Ugart paired in defensive midfield, Dalot, Heven, Lima, and Luke Shaw forming the back four, and Lamens in goal; the starting lineup was valued at €338 million.Eddie Howe deployed a 4-3-3 formation, with Gordon, Woltman, and Murphy as the front three, Ramsey, Guimaraes, and Tonali in midfield, Hall, Schar, Jaf, and Mealy in defense, and Ramsdale guarding the net; their starting lineup was worth €440 million.

Manchester United entered this match seriously weakened, with captain Bruno Fernandes, Maguire, and De Ligt injured, and Amad, Mbombo, and Mazraoui away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Despite facing Newcastle, who struggle away from home, United ceded possession and did not dominate the game, but still secured a 1-0 win thanks to Doku’s debut goal, earning valuable three points. Amrabat’s proactive tactical change was crucial; abandoning the 3-4-2-1 formation due to heavy absences, he decisively adopted a 4-2-3-1 to strengthen defense. Heven showed increasing maturity, while Zirkzee appeared lazy—United must cut losses promptly. Newcastle is a fierce team at home but feeble away, with a stark contrast in home and away performances, making it impossible for them to consistently qualify for the Champions League over two seasons.

Looking at the match stats, Manchester United’s home possession was only 33%, allowing Newcastle, who struggle in tight matches, to attack more on the road—this reflects half the success of Amrabat’s tactics. United had 9 shots, 7 fewer than Newcastle, but both teams registered 7 shots on target.