Manchester United squeezed past Newcastle at home on Boxing Day, putting pressure on teams above them. Patrick Dorgu scored the winning goal, clearly benefiting from the freedom given by coach Ruben Amorim.

Early on, Casemiro almost scored with a header from a corner, but he couldn't keep it down. United kept pushing, and eventually, Dorgu volleyed in a great goal midway through the first half.

Near the hour mark, Benjamin Sesko nearly made it two, but his shot hit the top of the bar. Shortly after, Newcastle's Lewis Hall hit the bar from 25 yards out.

Newcastle kept up the pressure, with Anthony Gordon shooting wide. Eddie Howe brought on Yoane Wissa, Harvey Barnes, and Joelinton to try and get an equaliser.

Diogo Dalot then missed a great chance to seal the game, shooting over the bar, while Matheus Cunha also shot wide after a good run. Still, one goal was enough. Here's what we learned at Old Trafford.

Dorgu makes his mark

Almost a year after joining United, Patrick Dorgu scored his first goal for the club. It was a screamer, with the Dane smashing the ball past Aaron Ramsdale after Nick Woltemade's headed clearance.

Dorgu looked hungry for more after his first goal, testing Ramsdale with a low shot before halftime. He spent the whole game up the pitch, causing Newcastle problems on both wings.

Earlier this season, Ruben Amorim said he wanted Dorgu to show the form he had in Denmark. This game was probably what he had in mind.

Fernandes's curse broken

Bruno Fernandes went off injured against Aston Villa, which worried fans because United had only picked up one point in the last seven league games without him in the starting lineup.

Amorim knew it would be hard to replace him, but said United had options. For the first half, you wouldn't have guessed that a key player was missing.

United looked stretched late in the game, and Tyrell Malacia even made a rare appearance from the bench. It wasn't easy, but they got the win.

United's defence surprises Newcastle.

After rejecting the idea before, Ruben Amorim seemed to ditch his usual back three, at least at the start. Patrick Dorgu played on the right wing in front of Diogo Dalot, with Luke Shaw at left-back and Ayden Heaven partnering Lisandro Martinez in the middle.

The change might have been out of necessity since Noussair Mazraoui and Amad weren't available.

Newcastle seemed caught off guard. During a break in play, Lewis Hall got a message, and the visitors changed their approach.

United stayed on top before bringing on another centre-back, Leny Yoro. But it was another switch, with the Frenchman moving to right-back and Dalot going to the wing.

Fletcher's chance

Before the game, some United fans wanted Jack Fletcher to start. The teenager made his debut on Sunday and might have had a shot with Fernandes injured, but he started on the bench.

At the start of the second half, Mason Mount's substitution gave the youngster his chance. He started in an attacking role, but then had to be flexible as others were subbed off.

Fletcher's twin brother, Tyler, was also on the bench for United, and Tyler Fredricson came on late in the game. United might not be at full strength, but the future seems bright.

Man Utd gets revenge.

Last year, United had a terrible first half against Newcastle. They were 2-0 down within 20 minutes, and Amorim subbed Joshua Zirkzee off before halftime.

This time it was different. Amorim's team started quickly, and Newcastle didn't really get into the game until the second half.

Zirkzee got a chance to redeem himself in the last half-hour. Newcastle did most of the attacking, and the home team had to defend, but it will feel good to get revenge.

Ruben Amorim, Manchester United's coach, raised some eyebrows when he put both Fletcher brothers on the bench for the Newcastle game on Boxing Day. This happened right after Jack’s first Premier League game just days before, where they lost to Aston Villa. With Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo out with injuries, Amorim's squad is a bit thin right now.

He expects Mainoo back before Fernandes. He was also happy to get Casemiro back after his suspension. The Fletchers, who are Darren’s sons (he used to play midfield for United), joined from Manchester City's academy in 2023. They cost a little over a million pounds, switching from City to Old Trafford, and they’ve been improving their skills within their age groups. Darren, who played for Scotland a whole bunch of times, has watched Tyler follow his path into Scotland's youth teams. Jack, on the other hand, plays for England.

I believed that Jack Fletcher was great, and because of that, when the time is right, we have got to give the opportunity to players like Jack and the other guys. So, we'll figure out how to play, Amorim mentioned to reporters this past Wednesday.

The twins were born in England when their dad played for United under Sir Alex Ferguson, so they could pick either England or Scotland for their national team. Apparently, Ferguson's team had a game the day the twins were born, but Darren wasn't there because he hurt his ankle.

Jack’s playing for England now but actually played for Scotland's Under-16s before. He showed up twice for England's Under-19 squad in November, even scoring in their big win against Scotland.

Tyler was actually on the other team that day, and he was the captain for Scotland. He also scored his first Under-19 goal in a tie game versus Latvia earlier in November.