Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published Saturday, December 27, 2025, 08:22 / Updated Saturday, December 27, 2025 08:42
Manchester United won again in the Premier League, after the cold shower in Birmingham (1-2 with Aston Villa) and the crazy draw with Bournemouth (4-4). But not everyone was happy after the victory over Newcastle (1-0).
Casemiro to Ruben Amorim: “How, me?! Why?!”
Former Real Madrid star Casemiro mishandled the moment when manager Ruben Amorim signaled for him to replace him with centre-back Leny Yoro in the 61st minute. The Brazilian midfielder first looked stunned, pointing his finger at himself, “what, me?!”, then gestured with his hand: “Why?!”.
Former England international and Manchester United player Gary Neville commented live: “Casemiro can't believe it. I'm surprised too. I'm really surprised!“. Supporters, in turn, commented on social networks: “Casemiro says: what the hell? Amorim is confusing the whole world with this game. One of our best players???“.
Ruben Amorim concreted the defense, to “freeze” the table at 1-0
Why Amorim replaced Casemiro became clear very quickly. Determined to “freeze” the table at 1-0 for United, Amorim radically changed the strategy, to an eminently defensive one, with no less than 6 men in defense! He took a risk, but it worked out in the end.
Manchester United opened the scoring in the 25th minute of the game. The left defender Dorgu shot from 14 meters, after a clearance by Woltemade, finding the corner of the goal perfectly: 1-0. No chance for Ramsdale between the Newcastle tackles.
Manchester United – Newcastle, the only match played this year on Boxing Day
It was Dorgu's first goal in Manchester United's shirt, in the only match played this year on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas). The reason for breaking an old tradition? In the contracts signed with the television stations it is stipulated that 33 of the 38 stages of the Premier League must be played at the weekend.
A rule that has taken on even more weight in a season where the number of European matches has increased and the FA Cup has seen more rounds pushed onto Saturdays and Sundays. In order to comply with this contractual obligation, the Premier League was forced to schedule a full round immediately on the weekend after Christmas.
