English youngster Joe Willock overcame two costly errors to help a powerful Newcastle side defeat a lackluster Manchester United 2-0 and move up to third place in the Premier League standings.

Prior to halftime, Newcastle midfielder Willock had a spectacular opportunity denied by Spanish shot-stopper David de Gea on the ground, but he reacted by scoring the game’s first goal by heading in from close range following a clever sequence of play by the hosts. 

Callum Wilson would then put the matter to rest three minutes before the final whistle, as he converted a header from a set-piece to complete the job for the Magpies. The win also keeps Eddie Howe’s men in contention for Champions League football next season. Follow your favourite Premier League team with attractive betting odds from NextBet.

The reality is that Newcastle should have widened the margin of victory against Erik ten Hag’s team, which included Marcus Rashford, who was absent from international duties for England, in the European qualifiers. Rashford’s performance was not at his usual standard, as he could only get one shot off in the entire game.

In addition, if Tottenham win against Everton in their upcoming clash on Tuesday, Manchester United will drop out of the Champions League positions to fifth in the table, although they do have two games in hand to bridge or overcome the gap. However, Erik Ten Hag was disappointed with his side’s performance, but conceded that the hosts outplayed them. The manager called Howe’s side the better team on the day, and hoped to bounce back from the defeat. 

For the first time this season, Manchester United failed to register a shot on target before halftime as Howe’s team dictated the play. Sean Longstaff got the first real opportunity of the game when he successfully got Alexander Isak’s knockdown under control in the box, but his 12-yard shot was mishit.

The finest opportunity of the half, though, came just before the 20-minute mark, when Isak headed a cross from Jacob Murphy goalward from six yards out. De Gea only parried the shot as far as Willock, who was closing in. Willock’s rebounding shot was deflected off the Man United custodian and away, as Newcastle kept knocking. 

Throughout the majority of the first half, Newcastle applied pressure, giving Murphy the license to shoot from afar. Isak would have a great chance, only to be foiled by World Cup-winning Frenchman Raphael Varane, who put in a wonderful block.

Several such chances that Newcastle had looked like they would find the back of the net, but the Magpies would ultimately settle on a 2-0 win against the Red Devils. Get all updates from the Premier League only on NextBet Sports.