Antony exchange summed up Manchester United's frustration in Newcastle embarrassment

Manchester United were always in a bit of a lose-lose situation heading into their clash with Newcastle last night. Fail to win, and the doubts over Erik ten Hag would only grow, while winning the match would be caveated by the fact it was against a second-string side in a second-string competition.

Winning a game in that manner would be a welcome problem for Ten Hag to have today. The nature of the match made it hard to take any positive performances too seriously, though the hypocrisy is that it only made poor performances look even worse too.

After a calamitous cameo at the weekend, Antony needed a big improvement more than most. Instead of turning a corner, he went around in a trademark circle once again.

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His hopes of having a good game were boosted after just a minute when Newcastle left-back Matt Targett went off with an injury, leaving Anthony Gordon with a target on his back in a makeshift defensive role.

Yet this was another night in which the £86 million man struggled to make an impact, with the type of performance that has been indicative of his time at the club.

Antony rarely managed to get the better of the full-back in front of him and was guilty of poor decision-making in the final third, often overplaying the ball until he lost possession or impatiently hoofing it into the box without any care or consideration.

He struggled to link up with the dreadful Diogo Dalot in the first half, and United's misery was summed up when the Brazilian overhit a pass straight out of play and responded with a heated exchange with his teammate. A high-five followed to calm the complaints, but the initial reaction told the