Matt Ritchie goal gives Newcastle shock victory over Manchester United

At the end of an afternoon when Jonjo Shelvey really did look worthy of an England place, Paul Pogba appeared a mere mortal and Martin Dubravka shone on his debut in goal for Newcastle United, two things remained unchanged for José Mourinho. Manchester United’s manager had still not won a Premier League game on Tyneside and his second-placed team continued to trail Manchester City, the leaders, by 16 points. For Mourinho’s old rival, Rafael Benítez, though, much had altered by the final whistle.

This timely reminder of Benítez’s coaching abilities represented much more than a rare moment in the sun during what has turned into a painful slog of a season: Matt Ritchie’s well taken second-half winner offered real hope that Newcastle can avoid relegation after all. Kicking off beneath a bright blue, near cloudless winter sky, Benítez’s players looked as crisp as the weather early on. David De Gea was soon required to stretch out a hand and divert Jonjo Shelvey’s goalbound shot, while Mohamed Diamé made dispossessing Nemanja Matic appear deceptively easy.

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