Manchester United were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Newcastle, with Eddie Howe’s side overtaking United in the table.

It’s not quite time to hit the panic button but Ten Hag needs to get his team back to winning ways to cement themselves in the top four.

Newcastle were fully deserving of the win and could have inflicted more damage on United. Albeit for some wasted chances and De Gea pulling out some fine saves.

In every area of the pitch, they were the better side, restricting United to a single shot on target. And with St. James’ Park producing a fierce atmosphere, Ten Hag’s men could not match the fight and succumbed to the pressure.

It's such an obvious observation but without Casemiro, United play like a completely different team. Fernandes, Sabitzer and McTominay all failed to match the intensity of Newcastle’s midfield and lack the skillset to fill in for the Brazilian as a single pivot. The build-up play was non-existent with none of the midfield three dropping deep to receive the ball and lacked the defensive instinct to stop the Newcastle onslaught.

The cracks were there against Fulham but United got away with it after the multiple red cards. However, on Sunday those cracks were more like crevices.

McTominay played the first half further up the pitch and then was brought into a deeper role for the second half but despite Ten Hag’s changes often producing favourable results, this time it resulted in no effect.

His decision to take off both centre halves seemed like a desperate move however given how the game had gone up until that point, it was going to take something special to find a way back into the contest. That decision also backfired when Callum Wilson headed home the second only five minutes later.

However, when your starting striker has fewer touches than the opposition goalkeeper there’s little chance you are going to score. Although Weghorst has been something of a cult hero since his January move, Sunday highlighted United’s need for a forward with top-class quality.

Martial returned from injury to replace Weghorst and did well in his short cameo. If the Frenchman wasn’t so injury-prone, he could have played a vital role this season. United will be hoping he can keep himself fit until the end of the season as they cannot rely on Weghorst constantly.

So now United’s top four aspirations, which were at one point looking like a sure thing are now at risk. Missing key players has obviously been a big factor and when the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen do return to the starting line-up, the results and performances will likely return too.

It’s just a worry about how Ten Hag navigates the next few games without them.

The Reds play Brentford and Everton this week, the former having yet to be played at the time of writing. Both games are at Old Trafford which could give United the boost they need as their away form has been poor this season. That being said Brentford have already shown Ten Hag the danger they possess, and Everton is now a Sean Dyche team, so it’s probably going to be two tough tests for United.

Despite the current wobble, I do believe United will finish in the top four.

Recent weeks have produced some unsavoury results but there are still plenty of games left to play. And with two games in hand on Spurs, United have their fate in their own hands.

It’s already been a good season in the eyes of the fans and hopefully, that continues in this last portion of the campaign.

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