William Osula struck a stunning 90th-minute winner to give Newcastle United a 2-1 victory over Manchester United at St James’ Park, ending Michael Carrick’s unbeaten league start and halting momentum in the race for Champions League qualification after defeats for Liverpool and Aston Villa had opened a valuable opportunity.
Carrick missed the chance to join Herbert Bamlett and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the only Manchester United managers to avoid defeat across their first 10 Premier League matches, while Newcastle boosted ambitions of a top-seven finish with another dramatic late strike that continued a recent pattern of stoppage-time drama for both clubs.
The decisive moment came when Kieran Trippier released Osula down the right flank, with the substitute gliding past Tyrell Malacia before bending a precise shot beyond Senne Lammens from the corner of the penalty area, sending home supporters into celebrations and leaving Manchester United punished for failing to take earlier chances.
Before that late twist, Manchester United had appeared well placed after a wild spell of first-half stoppage time, which extended to nine minutes despite three initially signalled, with Jacob Ramsey dismissed for a second yellow card for simulation following a soft fall under pressure from Senne Lammens, soon after Bryan Mbeumo missed a clear opportunity.
Newcastle reacted strongly to Ramsey’s dismissal, as Anthony Gordon tempted Bruno Fernandes into a rash challenge on the left side of the box and then kept composure to convert the penalty, before Fernandes responded himself by swinging a free-kick into the area for Casemiro to head in, sending the sides level into the interval.
Manchester United then struggled to control the second half, losing rhythm and allowing Newcastle to build pressure, though late on the visitors finally created openings, with Aaron Ramsdale saving from a Leny Yoro header and then producing an athletic stop to keep out Joshua Zirkzee, moments that set the stage for Osula’s decisive intervention.
Osula’s introduction proved efficient as well as dramatic, with the forward scoring from the only shot taken, a chance valued at just 0.06 expected goals, underlining how clinical the finish was on a night when Newcastle created the better opportunities overall and edged the underlying numbers against a Manchester United side chasing a top-four place.
Newcastle vs Manchester United Premier League stats highlight late-goal trend
Overall, Newcastle led the expected goals count by 2.22 to 1.28, turning that superiority into three points despite playing with 10 players, while Manchester United again saw a match decided in stoppage time, continuing a run in which late goals have often proved costly during recent Premier League campaigns.
This season, Newcastle have now scored three winners in the 90th minute or later, against Fulham in October, Leeds in January and Manchester United here, matching tallies achieved only in 2007-08 and 2012-13, while Manchester United have now suffered 10 last-minute winners in Premier League history, with eight arriving across the past four seasons.
Osula became the eighth Newcastle player to score a 90th-minute Premier League winner as a substitute and the first substitute from any club to do so against Manchester United, on a night when Jacob Ramsey also entered the records as the first player to receive a second yellow card for simulation since Yves Bissouma for Tottenham against Luton in 2023.
Newcastle’s late success arrived just one match after Jordan Pickford produced a crucial save to deny them a stoppage-time equaliser against Everton, and this response keeps hopes of European qualification alive, while Manchester United leave Tyneside reflecting on a missed chance to gain ground on rivals and extend Carrick’s impressive early sequence.