Manchester United legend Roy Keane said he ‘couldn’t believe’ the side’s defending against Newcastle and picked out Diogo Dalot and Altay Bayindir for criticism after the dismal 4-1 defeat.
Alejandro Garnacho cancelled out Sandro Tonali’s opener to give United the momentum heading into the second period, but a flurry of Newcastle goals in a one-sided second half secured the hosts a deserved victory.
Harvey Barnes was the pick of Newcastle’s attackers, capitalising on some lackadaisical United defending to complete a 15-minute brace and take the roof off St James’ Park.
United goalkeeper Bayindir, making his full Premier League debut in place of Andre Onana, gifted the Magpies their fourth with a woeful pass out from the back in the 77th minute.
The result leaves United stranded down in 14th and confirms the club will finish with their lowest ever Premier League points tally, even if they win every single game from now until the end of the season.
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Former United captain Keane blasted Ruben Amorim’s side as ‘physically and mentally weak’ in the immediate aftermath, before taking aim at Dalot for his part in Newcastle’s second goal.
‘You’ve got an experienced right-back and he just runs by him,’ Keane said on Sky Sports after Tino Lavramento glided past Dalot with ease before crossing for Barnes.
‘He doesn’t even grab him, he doesn’t try and tackle him, he just gives up on it.
‘If anything, he helps him! He shows him goal-side. Look at this! I can’t believe it! I can’t believe that defending.
‘We praise Dalot for going forward but part of being a defender is, obviously, being hard to beat.’
Amorim opted to take Onana out of the firing line after his horror-show display against Lyon in the week, with Bayindir instead given the nod against Newcastle.
But Bayindir looked shaky throughout and the Turkey goalkeeper will have wanted to the ground to swallow him whole after his howler directly led to Guimaraes’ 77th-minute strike.
‘You go back to the decision making. It’s too risky, it’s absolutely too risky,’ Keane said of Bayindir’s mistake.
‘There are players around you! At the highest level, the real top players, it’s about your decision making.
‘I’m quick to defend goalkeepers when they first come into the team because it does take five, six, seven games to get up to speed with the shots, whatever.
‘But that basic mistake there is just… honestly, I can’t understand it because this is top level, this is big-boy stuff.’
Keane added: ‘If you’re going to go long or you’re going to chip it, make sure you go too far so then at least it’s up the pitch.
‘If you lose it there, you know what’s going to happen. If you lose it there, someone’s in on goal, on top of you.
‘That’s just common sense.’
Speaking to Sky Sports shortly after the final whistle, a defiant Amorim claimed he ‘didn’t care’ about the criticism he and his players would face in the wake of their latest lacklustre showing.
‘I understand but I don’t care. Nothing is worse than losing games,’ the United head coach said.
‘People can say whatever they want to say. I don’t want to defend myself or anything like that.
‘If you look at our position in the table, it says it all. Thursday is really important. Losing games is the hardest part by far of this job. Let’s focus on Thursday [against Lyon].
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